{"59059":{"#nid":"59059","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Watch General Petraeus Dialogue","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs welcomed U.S. CENTCOM Commander and Army General David H. Petraeus to campus January 19.   \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 90 minute Q\u0026amp;A may be viewed at the link provided at the bottom of this story.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPetraeus offered brief remarks then took questions, offering the audience of 1,000 a chance to direct the conversation. By Petraeus\u0027 request, students were given priority at the microphone.  Topics ranged from Afghanistan to Yemen. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA Colonel Leslie Callahan Memorial Endowment Lecture, the Q \u0026amp;A was moderated by Sam Nunn School of International Affairs Associate Professor Adam N. Stulberg. The audience included students, faculty, and staff from the Ivan Allen College and Georgia Tech, alumni, President G.P. \u0022Bud\u0022 Peterson and his wife Val, members of the Atlanta community, and distinguished guests including former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, U.S. House Representative Phil Gingrey, and members of the Georgia General Assembly. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I stand here representing 200,000 men and women in uniform, and tens of thousands of civilian employees,\u0022  Petraeus said.  He recognized fellow members of his West Point Class of 1974 who were in the audience saying, \u0022It is an honor to serve with them.\u0022  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPetraeus gave a quick but comprehensive overview of current operations in Afghanistan and a look back at Iraq before and after a 30,000-troop surge in 2007. He said incidents of violence have increased in intensity yearly since the initial defeat of Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I remember telling [then-Defense] Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld in 2005 that Afghanistan would be the longest of the long wars,\u0022  he said. \u0022Our major objective [in Afghanistan] is to remove the Taliban expansion \u0022  to begin a transition in 2011 to Afghan forces.\u0022  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPetraeus spoke about how modern military campaigns have changed from past wars. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s not just about planting flags,\u0022  he said. \u0022Al Qaeda is more than just a group of terrorists: It is an advanced network, and must be fought as such.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPetraeus outlined the CENTCOM\u0027s \u0022Anaconda\u0022  strategy for dealing with Al Qaeda, adding that counter terrorist forces are working to squeeze all aspects of that network. By uniting intelligence efforts, working to improve education and jobs programs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and boosting interagency cooperation, constant pressure will be applied to each part of the network.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPetraeus addressed questions on U.S. relations and involvement with Pakistan and Yemen. \u0022We have a \u0022 trust-deficit\u0027 in Pakistan,\u0022  he said. \u0022We have left Pakistan twice in the past, and must amend that by building relationships. It will take a sustained investment.\u0022  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn response to a question about a statement by Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman that \u0027Yemen will be tomorrow\u0027s war,\u0027 Petraeus said, \u0022Central Command has been focused on Yemen for a couple of years now... It\u0027s important we build relationships.\u0022  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen asked to compare the current situation in Afghanistan with Vietnam, Petraeus answered that he would avoid making comparisons. \u0022The most important lesson in history is that every situation is unique,\u0022  he said. \u0022The key to [achieving success] is recognizing those unique elements.\u0022 In comparing Afghanistan with Iraq, he noted several challenges: Iraq has a more urban landscape and education is more accessible, while Afghanistan is more rural, with an increased importance on the roles of tribes in society.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHe responded to a question from audience members about his experience in earning his master\u0027s and doctoral degrees from Princeton University\u0027s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. \u0022I learned in graduate school that there were people\u0022\u0022who were extremely intelligent\u0022\u0022who held different views from mine,\u0022  he said. \u0022I wanted to know why. It really helped me in Iraq. Not everybody sees the world from the same scenery, [a position] that needs to be developed by those of us in the military.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough he chose not to discuss any \u0022hypothetical\u0022  situation regarding reports of Iran\u0027s increasing involvement in developing nuclear weapons, he did say there was a level of discontent and protest within the country not seen in recent years. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOutside the Ferst Center where the talk was held, a small group of anti-war demonstrators were handing out flyers and other information, but there were no outbursts or interruptions of the general\u0027s lecture. Roughly half-way through the event, a handful of protestors inside the theater and wearing T-shirts reading \u0022Say No to Endless War\u0022  stood up and turned their backs to the stage. When venue security asked them to sit down or leave, all quietly left the auditorium. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe lecture was arranged by the Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy (CISTP), the interdisciplinary policy research arm of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and The Colonel Leslie Callahan Memorial Endowment, established by former Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Col. Leslie Callahan.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring his time on campus, Petraeus met with Georgia Tech President G.P. \u0022Bud\u0022  Peterson, Ivan Allen College Interim Dean Ken Knoespel, Acting Chair of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs Brian Woodall, CISTP co-Director Adam Stulberg, Georgia Tech Research Institute Director Steve Cross, College of Engineering Dean Don Giddens, Associate Vice President for Communications \u0026amp; Marketing James Fetig, and CISTP Program Coordinator Angela Levin. At his request, he also met with ROTC students - Army, Airforce, and Navy senior classmen and their unit leaders.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs Commanding General of the Multi-National Force \u0022\u0022 Iraq, Petraeus was the architect and leader of the June 2007 \u0022surge\u0022  in Iraq where a change in tactics backed by an influx of about 30,000 additional troops seized the initiative from the insurgents. He assumed command of the United States Central Command in October 2008 and oversees a \u0022whole government approach\u0022  to operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. CENTCOM has been the main American presence in many military operations, including the Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPetraeus was commissioned in the Infantry upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1974. He holds MPA and PhD degrees in international relations from Princeton University\u0027s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EColonel Leslie Callahan, for whom the memorial endowment is named, joined the Georgia Tech Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) faculty in 1969 after a twenty-five year military career. He established the Callahan Endowment in 1993.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThank you to Robert Nesmith of GT Communications for significant contributions to this article.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"The Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs welcomed U.S. CENTCOM Commander and Army General David H. Petraeus to campus January 19.     \n\nThe 90 minute Q\u0026amp;A may be viewed at the link provided at the bottom of this story.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"CISTP Welcomed U.S. CENTCOM Commander"}],"uid":"27167","created_gmt":"2010-01-22 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:06:50","author":"Rebecca Keane","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-01-22T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2010-01-22T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"59060":{"id":"59060","type":"image","title":"tjs95025.jpg","body":null,"created":"1449176211","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:56:51","changed":"1475894515","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:55","alt":"","file":{"fid":"190832","name":"tjs95025.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tjs95025_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tjs95025_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":47213,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tjs95025_0.jpg?itok=_oTC4Fdt"}},"59061":{"id":"59061","type":"image","title":"tfu95025.jpg","body":null,"created":"1449176211","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:56:51","changed":"1475894515","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:55","alt":"","file":{"fid":"190833","name":"tfu95025.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tfu95025_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tfu95025_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":43871,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tfu95025_0.jpg?itok=NJRWVbCa"}}},"media_ids":["59060","59061"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/media.gatech.edu\/tools\/jwplayer\/?file=public\/comm\/Petraeus.mp4","title":"Video of General Petraeus\u0027 Lecture"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[{"id":"795","name":"CISTP"},{"id":"999","name":"IAC"},{"id":"851","name":"INTA"},{"id":"8179","name":"petraeus"},{"id":"197","name":"video"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ERebecca Keane\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=rkeane3\u0022\u003EContact Rebecca Keane\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-1720\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["rebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}