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Tuesday, 24 June 2008
+++ Dr. Joseph Nye at the annual forum of the Kokkalis Foundation
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Addressing a capacity audience of distinguished guests from politics business and the academia, Dr. Joseph Nye, and University Distinguished Service professor and former Harvard Kennedy School Dean delved into the theme of Leadership and American foreign policy, at the annual forum lecture event of the Kokkalis Foundation, held on June 19 at the Gennadius library of the American School of Classical Studies.
In his opening remarks, Kokkalis Foundation President Mr. Socrates Kokkalis acknowledged Professor Nye's vision and leadership as Dean of the Kennedy School and expressed his personal gratitude to Dr. Nye for adopting and promoting the Kokkalis Program for Southeastern and East Central Europe, the first regional program ever at Harvard that generated a vast network of education, research and outreach activities.
Opening addresses by Dr. Jorge Dominguez, Vice Provost for International Affairs of Harvard University, and Dr. Joseph McCarthy, senior associate dean and Director of Degree Programs of HKS preceded Dr. Nye's lecture.
Answering to the question of whether a leader should be loved or feared, Nye focused on the relationship between power and leadership and elaborated on the skills of political leadership. A distinguished academic best known for promoting the idea of "soft power", based on persuasion and influence, as a counterpoint to "hard power", based on coercion and force, Dr. Nye discussed leadership as it relates to these notions and termed the mixture of these powers "smart power." He urged soft power whenever possible and defined power as the ability to obtain outcomes through others, noting the difference between wanting to dominate followers and sharing influence with them. Smart power assumes the right mixture of leadership that attracts and inspires
Dr. Nye emphasized that modern leadership should integrate three concepts: Emotional Intelligence, a Vision that a leader should be able to communicate, and Contextual Intelligence. He claimed that modern leadership needs to address issue that are transnational, such as Climate or Trade, and argued in these new types of issues labeleling the world as either unipolar or multipolar does not provide a sufficient context for determining approached to world affairs.
Examining different approaches to, as well as contexts of, leadership, Nye explained how the wider context can determine the effectiveness of a particular leader. A leader, he argued, who thrives in one environment may struggle in another. Dr. Nye's lecture placed the issue of leadership in the context of the upcoming array of foreign policy and leadership challenges of the next US president in a timely and insightful fashion. Referring to the role of the United States in the world in the last eight years, Dr. Nye stated "the US has failed to attract followers, very much to the contrary." However the recent outcome of the US primary elections, in his view, showed that the US has the capacity to regenerate.
Arguing that the role of Greece in SE Europe is a role of leadership, Dr. Nye stated " Greece is a source of stability in the Balkans." This role, the former Dean added, "requires a vision that sees beyond the disputes of the day."
Dr. Nye acknowledged Mr. Socrates Kokkalis' vision to build closer ties among the countries of SE Europe and to bring the region closer to the Harvard community through the Kokkalis Program for Southeastern Europe at Harvard 11 years ago, that now serves as a model of a regional program of scholarships for the entire University.
About the Kokkalis Foundation
The Kokkalis Foundation was established in 1997 by its President Mr. Socrates P. Kokkalis as a non-governmental, non-profit organization in Athens, Greece. The central mission of the Kokkalis Foundation is the promotion of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Southeastern Europe through the advancement of knowledge and education, the development of public, cultural and scientific life in the region, and the development of human capital. For more information please visit: http://www.kokkalisfoundation.gr
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