Editor’s Note ~ Volume 14 / Spring 2011
Will the general show up? We were scheduled to meet half an hour ago. Outside, stinging wind whips around the outskirts of Sarajevo in a neighborhood still pockmarked with bullet holes. once the Serbian foothold in the Bosnian capital, Dobojska currently houses general Jovan Divjak’s ngo —a small operation that helps orphans of the war.
Divjak, an ethnic Serb, commanded the Bosnian army’s defense of Sarajevo against invading Serbs. With rumors from Mostar and Srebrenica drifting through the air, general Divjak and his under-armed forces held off the Serbian siege for nearly four years. Divjak embodies many of the controversies inherent to a conversation on leadership. to most of Sarajevo he is a hero. to others, he is an opportunist who leveraged his ethnic status. In Republika Srpska he is a war criminal. In fact, his interview for this volume was one of his last prior to a surprise arrest in Vienna.
The fourteenth edition of the SAIS Bologna Center Journal of International Affairs focuses on leadership. What is leadership? Who counts as a leader? Is leadership even a factor in the twenty-first century? Who will sway the Japanese recovery efforts—Prime Minister Naoto Kan or investors going long on the yen? With increasing integration and interdependence, is leadership just a distraction? The academic consensus seems to favor ethnically ambiguous, market-oriented Eurocrats who will not disrupt the supply chain.
The leadership conundrum is especially acute here in Italy. An argument could be made that a profound leadership void exists across the peninsula, with legitimate dialogue replaced by game shows and jiggling body parts. Others argue that Italy suffers from the disease of leadership; in turbulent times, a part of society has rallied around a leader who appeals to their ignorance and fear. Romano Prodi suggests that Silvio Berlusconi is a strong leader because he answers questions in three words. Unfortunately, many of the world’s dilemmas require a few more.
Of course, the subject entails far more than political dominance. Leadership in North Africa does not simply refer to entrenched dictators, but also to students who risk their lives to organize long-shot protests. In the united States, leadership is not limited to political elites making poor decisions quickly, but it includes soldiers on their third and fourth tour revising strategies to protect a rural market outside Kandahar. Leadership includes peacekeeping initiatives and scientific efforts to develop clean energy. So while political leaders from South America to East Asia may be underwhelming and angling for the sound bite, leadership is alive and well—an exogenous variable pushing productivity growth.
The 2011 Bologna Center Journal of International Affairs considers the direction of this growth. Jimena Serrano analyzes nascent trends in Colombian leadership that portend an end to centuries of exclusionary politics, while James Stranko considers the entrenched underachievement of Argentina’s ruling class. Klaas Hinderdael argues for a new direction in American foreign policy vis-à-vis Cuba, while Christina Politi looks to southern Europe’s past for lessons that apply directly to current struggles in North Africa. Reflecting the increased strategic relevance of developing nations, Emilia Galiano offers a controversial take on China’s new role as a global power, while Ryan J. Connelly proposes a developmental model for states to better leverage natural resources. Finally, Philipp Panizza reflects on Namibian peacekeeping efforts, isolates factors of success, and argues for continued United Nations leadership in the field.
Alongside these student submissions, we are proud to publish a series of articles from experts in the field who are all leaders in their own right. Romano Prodi and Gianfranco Pasquino, two dominant voices in Italian politics, grapple with the opprobrium that has befallen Italian politics. Gary Sick, who served on the national Security Council under three presidents, offers a sophisticated analysis of the often politicized issue of Iranian leadership, while Dr. Karim Mezran provides context to a spiraling situation in north Africa. David C. Unger of The New York Times editorial Board considers the void in European economic leadership, while Dr. Riordan Roett delivers an overview of Latin American leadership that complements the country-specific case studies presented in this volume.
I am extremely appreciative of the leadership demonstrated by the 2011Journal Staff. My job would have been much easier if Managing editor Matthew Carroll and executive editor Joe Da Silva had been yes-men—the journal is significantly better because they were not. Chiefs of Copy editing Courtney McCarty and Jessica Stallings combined skill, efficiency, and dedication to keep the project on track. Andrew Orihuela and David Goodman built a new website for the journal from scratch, while Jessica lee’s fundraising acumen allowed us to expand operations without emptying our coffers. All told, the team worked together to assemble snapshots of a globe poised to hit a turning point and perhaps waiting on a leader.
Will the general show up? We were scheduled to meet an hour ago. His assistant chain smokes Croatian cigarettes and pours Bosnian rakija by the shot. Future unrest between Bosnians and Serbs is inevitable, he says. Whether political or physical, the nature of the Dayton Accords assures conflict. I am struck by how often fear or expediency produces short-sighted policy with crushing long-term consequences. I am disturbed by the time we spend studying easily avoidable errors of the past. As the academic expression of a professional school, the Bologna Center Journal of International Affairs demonstrates that some of the world’s future leaders have a nuanced understanding of the history, politics, and economics of the systems that they will affect. these papers give hope that our class will be studied for our leadership, and not for our errors.
Sam George
Editor-in-Chief
April 2011
