On September 5, Secretary of State Colin Powell came to GWU for the opening of the Elliott School’s new building on 1957 E St. With tickets selling out in 2 hours, the line to hear Powell speak was more like a line for a pop star, but at GW this is no surprise; many students here come because of their passion for International Affairs and politics. With 3 standing ovations for Powell, students and faculty alike showed support for the former GW business student. He spoke about his former jobs, and his message to the students was clear: “Not all of us are cut out to be scholars, or a soldier, or policymaker.”

But Powell has for a long time been a mentor for those studying International Affairs. From our first semester as students, we learn of his policies, his theories and his role in government that acts as a model for us all. Above this, he is the Secretary of State, the highest position possible to hold in the field of Foreign Affairs. What student of the Elliott School wouldn’t want to be him?

So it should be no surprise that when Powell came to campus, we rallied to hear him speak, and we listened. Powell spoke to the crowd about the initiatives that the United States is undertaking: the Millennium Account, FTAA, and the Arab-Israeli Roadmap towards peace. He spoke about the current administrations foreign policy, pointing directly to the National Security Strategy paper, as the most significant policy objective to the Bush administration:

“The National Security Strategy gained attention in the aftermath of 9/11 because it made explicit the concept of preemption — and it made it explicit for obvious reasons. As the President says, and as anyone can understand, if you can see a clear and present threat, a danger coming at you, you do not wait for it to arrive. You deal with it. You preempt. You don’t wait for it to strike. It is not a new concept, but it took on new meaning in light of the changed world we faced after 9/11.”

From my perspective, for Powell to herald pre-emptive strike was frustrating. Something was amiss. In my head, I recalled IAFF 5 and PSC 3, where we had to ID the Powell Doctrine. This was not it.

Powell is famous for his theory on how and when to effectively wage war. He argued, after the Gulf War, that military action should only be used only as a last resort. He stated that war must include a) a clear risk to national security by the intended target, b) overwhelming force against the enemy, c) strong support for the campaign by the general public, and d) there must be a clear exit strategy.

Where has Powell gone? At the podium, I saw a man who looked like him. But when talking about Iraq, the very case study his theory is derived from, all that is Powell has gone out the window. Where are the allies? Where is the exit strategy? Today, many soldiers are dying in Iraq due to gorilla warfare. Our long-time European allies are upset with us-we can’t even get a Resolution from the Security Council for peace-building or development in Iraq. Diplomacy has failed.

As a student, I understand the problem that Powell has faced. He is first a soldier, and wants to be a team-player. As Bush’s term progressed, we heard rumors of discontent over at State, but no speeches or remarks from Powell himself. Where did he go? Where is his vision?

At the Elliott School opening, he relayed it to us: “And so we have a National Security Strategy (NSS) that is based on a vision, a vision that includes strong partnerships, not unilateralism, but strong partnerships with our traditional allies and our new friends in the world stage. It includes a concern for the well-being of mankind throughout the world. We’re investing in HIV/AIDS programs. We’re doing everything we can with respect to economic development of developing nations, with respect to poverty elimination. It is a broad, broad, comprehensive strategy.”

If this is his vision, as well as Bush’s, then we are failing. France and Germany are not with us. Syria and Iran are completely alienated from the US agenda. The roadmap, only months after its’ disclosure, has failed miserably. The WTO summit on poverty broke-up after only a day. What more do we need to know to discover that the NSS has failed?

As a scholastic “fan” of Powell for a long time, it is difficult to give up hope that his policies may someday come to fruition. It is rumored that he is leaving office at the end of this first term. What he is to do next remains a mystery.

Is the NSS compatible with the Powell doctrine? As students of international affairs, it is up to the audience to decide. But as we enter our new building to learn about the affairs of the world and pass by the plaque hung in Powell’s honor, a question may plague those freshman in IAFF 5: is the doctor(ine) out?