The American Political Science Association is providing cover and legitimacy for policies of torture, rendition, and aggressive war. Some of members of the association have drafted a letter opposing the award being given to Condolezza Rice. If you are an APSA member and would like to add your name, please let me know.
By giving the 2018 Hubert H. Humphrey Award to Condeleeza Rice the APSA has honored a person who actively participated in creating a rationale for the illegal invasion of Iraq, participated in and defended the creation of policies of rendition and torture against foreign nationals, supported the creation of a concentration camp at Guantanamo Bay, and aided and abetted the deliberate and systematic lies that were told to the American public to encourage their support for the invasion of Iraq, which, from its inception and to this day, has had catastrophic consequences for the world.
The committee members who recommended Rice for the award have responded to our inquiry concerning their reasoning with a statement that argues that while Rice indeed participated in the disastrous foreign policy of the Bush years, her action and that of her fellow members of the administration was taken in the heat of war, with incomplete information, and with urgent responses needed. They also argue that this record is overmatched by her other services to the country, especially noting the reunification of Germany while serving in the first Bush administration and her promotion of policies of development aid under the second. Finally, they point to the person for whom the award is named, and in an act of “what-about-ism” so popular these days, suggest that politics at the highest levels involves inevitable decisions that can, in retrospect, be seen as mistaken.
As political scientists we will long argue about decisions concerning war and peace, power and its limits, and questions concerning the difficult questions of when to act and how. But we are protesting this award because we believe that no one who actively supported and defended policies of deception that led to the death of well over a million people, that created ecological danger still not fully assessed, and that resulted in the torture of other human beings should be given an award.
The committee decided to weigh Rice’s other services against this huge and disastrous failure. But it is not a matter of weight here. Given her record, she should not have been considered for an award. Participation in the governmental administration of torture should be disqualifying. For the APSA to provide cover for officials pursuing such actions violates our professional responsibilities regarding public service.
We urge the APSA to establish an oversight committee that reviews the credentials and records of those who are nominated for public service awards, so as to screen out those who have participated in policies that have had the consequence of the systematic violation of the human rights of others. We also ask that the council rescind this year’s Humphrey Award to Professor Rice, given her record of support for torture and rendition.
Drafted and organized by Thomas L. Dumm (Amherst College) and Jodi Dean (Hobart and William Smith Colleges).
Signed:
- Asma Abbas
- Tony Affigne
- Elisabeth Anker
- Katy Arnold
- Phillip Ayoub
- Banu Bargu
- Alyssa Batistoni
- Brad Bauerly
- Jane Bennett
- Jessica Blatt
- Peter Bratsis
- Susan Brewer-Osorio
- Rachel Brown
- Wendy Brown
- Kevin Bruyneel
- Susan Burgess
- Sheila Carapico
- Ajay Singh Chaudhary
- George Ciccariello-Maher
- Joan Cocks
- Elizabeth Cohen
- Rom Coles
- William Connolly
- Barbara Cruikshank
- Jodi Dean
- Shirin Deylami
- Andrew Dilts
- Lisa Disch
- Stefan Dolgert
- Thomas L. Dumm
- John Ehrenberg
- Kathy Ferguson
- Kennan Ferguson
- Michaele Ferguson
- John Finn
- David Forrest
- Jason Frank
- Jill Frank
- Jennifer Gaboury
- Richard Gilman-Opalsky
- Jane Anna Gordon
- Katherine Gordy
- Alex Gourevitch
- Judith Grant
- Laura Grattan
- Jarius Victor Grove
- Ayten Gundogdu
- Nina Hagel
- Christine Harrington
- Erin Heidt-Forsythe
- Harry N. Hirsh
- Bonnie Honig
- Juliet Hooker
- David Howarth
- Chris Howell
- Vicki Hsueh
- Jennifer M. Hudson
- Jeffrey C. Isaac
- Jack Jackson
- Jim Johnson
- Steven Johnston
- Rafael Khachaturian
- Nicholas Kiersey
- Elisabeth Koechlin
- Alexander Livingston
- Brian C. Lovato
- Joe Lowndes
- Samantha Majic
- Mark Major
- Robyn Marasco
- Andrew March
- Elizabeth Markovits
- Lori Marso
- James Martel
- Lida Maxwell
- Jamie Mayerfield
- Keally McBride
- Utz McKnight
- Jeanne Morefield
- Cas Mudde
- Justin Mueller
- Laurie Naranch
- Anne Norton
- Aletta Norval
- Alix Olson
- Gary Olson
- David Ost
- Sean Parson
- Paul A. Passavant
- Kristofer J. Petersen-Overton
- Ricky Price
- John Protevi
- Babak Rahimi
- Sahar Razavi
- Thea Riofrancos
- Will Roberts
- Corey Robin
- Melvin Lee Rogers
- Sayres Rudy
- Sara Rushing
- Mildred Elizabeth Sanders
- Matthew Scherer
- Jade Schiff
- Sanford Schram
- Tyler Schuenemann
- George Schulman
- Melissa Schwartzberg
- Jillian Schwedler
- Bryant William Sculos
- John Seery
- Torrey Shanks
- Jakeet Singh
- Laura Sjoberg
- Claire Snyder-Hall
- Christian Sorace
- Joe Soss
- Lester Spence
- Jacqueline Stevens
- Peter Stone
- Tracy Strong
- Kirstine Taylor
- David Temin
- Lars Toender
- Jack Turner
- Camila Vergara
- Jackie Vimo
- Kathi Weeks
- Meredith Weiss
- Yves Winter
- Jeffrey Winters
- Jasmine Yarish
- Karen Zivi
What a godforsaken pack of filthy racists.
Posted by: Mark Langford | September 01, 2018 at 08:24 AM