This blog post was written by Dr. Laura Freberg, a Professor at Cal Poly
Retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal shared insights
gleaned from his leadership positions in Afghanistan and Iraq with about 1,000
students, faculty, administrators, and community members in the Performing Arts
Center at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last night. Among the audience were large
contingents of the Cal Poly College Republicans and members of Cal Poly ROTC.
McChrystal spoke against a backdrop of a large map of the
Middle East, featuring Iran in the very center, which reminded the audience
that our usual map views, centered on the United States with the Middle East
off to the side, do not capture the importance of this region to our interests.
Throughout the evening, McChrystal reminded the audience that isolationism is
not an option, in spite of our problems at home, noting that “we would pay” for
any neglect to the stability of the region.
In addition to offering a very scholarly summary of
Afghanistan’s history, McChrystal shared his first-hand impressions of the
Afghan people, from President Karzai to local villagers. The audience was
encouraged to try to see world events through the eyes of other people. The key
to stability in the region, according to McChrystal, was the formation of
relationships that allow people to predict others’ behavior. McChrystal described
the Afghans’ view of the United States as well-intentioned, but like a “puppy”
that occasionally knocks things over and slobbers. He noted the lack of support
for extremists, but cautioned that after 31 years of conflict, the populace
would prefer even the Taliban to endless war.
The program allowed for a generous question and answer
period, and discussion ranged from North Korea to education to Wikileaks to McChrystal’s
nuanced differentiation between circumstances in Iraq and Afghanistan. In each
case, McChrystal offered succinct, respectful, and thoughtful replies. Although
he alluded to the circumstances of his retiring, and stated that he still had a
“good relationship” with President Obama, this issue was more of an asterisk to
the evening.
The audience both greeted and said farewell to McChrystal
with extended standing ovations, with the notable exception of a number of Cal
Poly faculty and administrators seated in the front of the auditorium. There
was some noticeable discomfort up front when McChrystal joked about being
willing to serve as the next Cal Poly president (a search is currently
underway), but the rest of the audience clapped and cheered. It was terrific to
see a large number of students in the audience, especially when the least
expensive tickets were $25 and final exams begin next week. McChrystal’s unique
perspective is one that we hope to see shared on many campuses.
This blog post was written by Dr. Laura Freberg, a Professor at Cal Poly
