Christopher Hill explores political strategies in Syria and North Korea By CALEB CHADWELL Daily Staff Reporter Christopher Hill, former assistant secretary of state and U.S. ambassador, discussed current topics in foreign policy, such as ongoing peace settlements for conflicts in Syria and North Korea, at the Ford School of Public Policy Monday evening. Hill was nominated as an ambassador by three presidents, most recently serving as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2009 to 2010. He also helped bring an end to the Bosnian War through the Dayton Accords peace agreement in 1995, an agreement which he said could be applicabble to current global conflict. While Hill noted it was not a complete success in helping bring about political change, he said he’s proud of the Accords in helping to end a violent and horrific conflict. “There were 200,000 people killed in the Balkans, there were rape camps and all kinds of hideous things that had to be stopped,” Hill said. Speaking to to ongoing situations with Syria, North Korea, China and Iran today, he said there were parallel that could be drawn. Hill said after negotiating an end to the Bosnian conflict, he learned that a key to reaching agreements is a willingness to work and negotiate with all different parties involved. He added that though it’s not always fun, to reach peace conflicting parties must communicate with each other. Touching on his experiences serving as the U.S. ambassador to South Korea and assistant secretary of state, Hill said though North Korea was one of the most difficult countries he dealt with as a diplomat, he thought the United States still needed to attempt to make agreements with the country. “These are people only a mother can love; I have never had such an unpleasant experience as I did with North Korea,” Hill said. He added that while over half of the people in the Republican Party today refuse to negotiate with North Korea, he commends former President George W. Bush for opening up diplomatic relations with them during his tenure. Nuclear weapons, Hill said, is the biggest challenge for U.S. diplomacy today. “Look at Hiroshima, could we handle another Hiroshima in this world? I don’t think so,” Hill said. “I think the issue is how to stop these nuclear wannabes.” China could play a role in putting pressure on North Korea and their nuclear program, Hill noted. However, he stressed that the United States needs to be more transparent with China for them to consider potentially imposing heavier sanctions against North Korea. Speaking to the current civil war in Syria involving President Bashar al-Assad, the rebels and ISIS, Hill cautioned the audience against harshly criticizing people working to obtain peace in the country. “I think Syria is a hideous situation, probably even worse than Bosnia was,” Hill said. “It’s easy to be critical of the people working on it, but you’ve got to understand the degree of difficulty that they have to contend with.” Hill stressed the need for the political parties of the United States to pull together and propose a bipartisan plan to reach peace in Syria. When asked his opinion on the recently implemented nuclear deal with Iran, Hill said while the deal does limit Iran’s nuclear capability, it also unfreezes Iranian assets that they could use to support terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah. In closing, Hill talked about how enjoyable and fulfilling it was to serve as a diplomat, and encouraged students not to be afraid of pursuing a career with the State Department. “There’s no country in the world that’s more fun to defend than the United States,” Hill said. “American diplomacy should be something that we do, and do very well.” Public Policy senior Madeline Hartlieb said she attended the talk because she is interested in foreign policy and pursuing diplomacy in the future. “Just to hear how outspoken (Hill) was, especially given how morbid the foreign policy scene can seem — I would definitely say that it was inspiring,” Hartlieb said. Public Policy junior Swathi Shanmugasundaram said she enjoyed hearing Hill speak because of his career experience and her own interest in foreign policy. “It’s easy to get down on yourself and your career path, especially as an undergraduate student and seeing everyone pass you,” Shanmugasundaram said. “But to hear Ambassador Hill talk about how his career started and how it’s flourished is awesome, because you think ‘Wow, maybe I can do that too.’” 2 — Tuesday, January 26, 2016 News The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY President Barack Obama banned the use of solitary confinement on juveniles in an executive action Monday, CNN reports. The order also prohibits the use of solitary confinement for low infraction offenders. 2 CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Tappan Talks WHAT: History of Art Ph.D. candidate Ashley Miller will explore the intersectionality of Morrocan art and political ideology. WHO: History of Art Department WHEN: Today from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: 3222 Angell Hall Spike Lee’s Chi -Raq WHAT: Tracey Walters, chair of Africana Studies at Stony Brook University, will discuss Lee’s latest film. WHO: Comparative Literature Department WHEN: Today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Libray, Room 100 The Supreme Court broadened a 2012 decision banning sentences of life without parole for juveniles, ruling in a 6-3 vote that the decision should also be applied retroactively to cases before 2012, Buzzfeed reported. 1 Taubman Lecture WHAT: Douglas Kelbaugh, recpient of the Topaz Medallion, will deliver his lecture titled “Honest, Elegant and Appropriate, +/- 50 years.” WHO: Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning WHEN: Today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Stamps Auditorium The founders of Ben and Jerry’s have created an icecream flavor for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (D), the Huffington Post reported. The flavor, plain mint with a chocolate disk on top, will not be commercially sold and only 40 pints will be created. 3 Film screening WHAT: Screening of “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll,” a film about rock music in Cambodia. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Museum of Art, Helmut Stern Auditorium Hopwood Award Ceremony WHAT: Winners of the Hopwood writing contest will be announced. WHO: Hopwood Awards Program WHEN: Today from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Amphitheater Psychology community talk WHAT: L. Monique Ward looks at what we are learning from portrayals of sex on TV WHO: Department of Psychology WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Ann Arbor Public Libray, Multipurpose Room Body Monologues WHAT: Students will share stories about grappling with body image and acceptance. WHO: University Health Service WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League, Mendelssohn Theater TUESDAY: Campus Voices THURSDAY: Twitter Talk FRIDAY: Photos of the Week WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers MONDAY: This Week in History CAMPUS VOICES Mike’s dream to work for Ellen KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, participates in a dialogue about student athletes at the Trotter Multicultural Center on Monday. The discussion followed a screening of the PBS documentary In Football We Trust and focused on the pressures athletes face as they juggle sports, school, and family. TACKLE AT TROT TE R LSA sophomore Michael Funkhouser recently created a video resume of his achievements, posted on Facebook, in hopes of getting a summer internship on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Could you describe your video and why you made it? I made a video to try and be an intern for Ellen. I’ve taken some videos in the last couple of years, and there were some videos from news stations. I thought it would be really cool to go back through those and relive all of that. So I was like, “Oh, I could make a really cool video compiling all of those together.” I just wanted to have fun with it and try and get her attention. Why Ellen? What do you hope to get out of an internship with her? I actually get asked the “Why Ellen?” question a lot. My answer is always that I could have tried to get an internship with anyone. The issue would have been whether I was working here in Ann Arbor, back in Jackson where I’m from, or New York or L.A., I’d eventually be sitting at a desk wherever I was, and I’d say, “I want to go help people.” And there was a chance that whatever boss I’d have, I’d have to explain why. If I work for Ellen, I don’t have to explain why. She just says, or hopefully she says, “How can I help you do that?” which would be really cool. Why did you decide to go about this over social media? Social media is what I know. It’s honestly one of the only ways to do it. I don’t know how else I would have done it. I applied online, on her website. —JENNIFER MEER Fulbright information WHAT: A program advisor will give information about the prestigious scholarship. WHO: International Institute WHEN: Today at 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: School of Social Work Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com. Former ambassador discusses foreign policy at Ford School HALEY MCLAUGHLILN/Dailly Christopher Hill, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, discusses his opinions on the current state of foreign policy in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy on Monday. WANT EVEN MORE NEWS? 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