Illuminating the Arts-Policy Nexus 

PANEL: Geo-Politics and Geo-Economics of the Middle East Master of Ceremonies: David A. Andelman, Editor, World Policy Journal Panelists: H.E. Reza Pahlavi, Former Crown Prince of Iran Dr. Paul Sullivan, Professor of Economics, National Defense University Dr. Priya Satia, Professor of Modern British History, Stanford University Zachary Karabell, President, River Twice Research Dr. Mustapaha Tlili, Founder and Director, Center for Dialogues Islamic World, U.S.-The West, New York University Felice Friedson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Media Line Eyal Weizman, Director, Center for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths College Panel summary by Max Currier, World Policy Journal David Andelman focused the morning panel on two flashpoints: Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.  Reza Pahlavi began by reminding his New York audience that no place is “immune from the consequences of far away places.”  He described the Iranian government as “corrupt authoritarians” with a “stranglehold over a defenseless population.”  Noting especially the June 12 elections, he explained the government has “lost any semblance of legitimacy” and “robs Iranians of their dignity.”  Mr. Andelman announced the breaking news that Iran reported a previously undisclosed nuclear enrichment facility and asked Prince Pahlavi if there is a consensus in Iran about the peaceful use of nuclear power.  Nobody, Prince Pahlavi said, would suggest that sovereign nations could not use technology for its own peaceful means.  But he did add that Iran has not convinced the international community that its nuclear intentions are peaceful. Prince Pahlavi recommended, and Felice Friedson later agreed, that, because “the luster of the Iranian revolution has vanished,” the international community should show humanitarian support for the people of Iran, creating “internal pressure” such that the Iranian regime “will be forced to change its policy.”  Similarly, Zachary Karabell believes China’s economic growth, with enough political freedom to alleviate extremism, can be a model for the development in many Middle East countries.  Dr. Paul Sullivan believes that economic development is imperative across the region: “[Tension] has more to do with money and power than religions.” Dr. Sullivan emphasized the importance of water security in the region. 

PANEL: National Targets, Global Challenge: Climate Change, Copenhagen, and Beyond Master of Ceremonies: Josh Margolis, Co-Chief Executive officer, Cantor CO2e Panelists: Dr. Thomas Malone, Patrick J. McGovern Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management Robert Laubacher, Research Associate, MIT Sloan School of Management Aart de Geus, Deputy Secretary General of the OECD Changhua Wu, Greater China Director, The Climate Group Dr. Lisa Randall, Professor of Physics, Harvard University Dr. Gerd Leipold, Executive Director, Greenpeace International Dr. Renate Christ, Secretary, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Dr. Doug Arent, Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Center for Strategic Energy Analysis Dr. John Felmy, Chief Economist, American Petroleum Institute Panel summary by Max Currier, World Policy Journal Jeff Felmy began with an impassioned plea: “The first thing we need to do is agree on the facts and then we can talk about policy.” Much of the subsequent discussion focused on diagnosing the problem of climate change from different perspectives without touching much on substantive policy prescriptions, although Aart de Geus did urge governments to levy taxes on emissions to encourage business growth in the “right direction,” and for governments to coordinate their actions “as collectively as possible.” “We’re dealing with a massive market failure,” Changhua Wu said.  Robert Laubacher added another failure, that of the mainstream media in “presenting complexity.” He lamented that the attendant issues (science, geopolitics, law) of climate change are “extraordinarily complex issues” which are “not easily understandable for the lay person.” The panel spent considerable time discussing why too few people support the dramatic changes that are required to substantially reduce carbon emissions.