FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 16, 2004

CONTACT:
Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu
Christina LoNigro, 202-887-9040

DRAKE UNIVERSITY TO HOST FOREIGN POLICY DISCUSSION WEDNESDAY

The People Speak: A Discussion of America’s Role in the World — a series of nationwide town hall meetings — will be holding a foreign policy discussion on the campus of Drake University at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. This event, which is free and open to the public, is one of 24 signature events being held across the country designed to heighten international policy awareness and discussion among communities.
ABC News Correspondent Judy Muller will moderate the discussion, which will focus on "American Power and Global Security."

Participants include former U.S. ambassadors John Menzies and Kenneth Quinn and James McCormick, professor of political science at Iowa State University.

Menzies had a 21-year career as a foreign service officer before becoming president of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, in 2002. The ambassador was chief of mission at the U.S. Office in Kosovo just prior to his arrival at Graceland. He was ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1994-1996. Quinn, former ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, became president of the World Food Prize Foundation in 2000 after a diplomatic career that spanned almost 32 years. He is widely acknowledged as the first person to discover and report on the genocidal policies and practices of the Khmer Rouge in 1974.

Professor McCormick is the author of numerous books, including "American Foreign Policy and Process." His research interests include the role of Congress in American foreign policy and explanations of global human rights violations.

The United Nations Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Aspen Institute’s Global Interdependence Initiative and The Weekly Standard are among the diverse group of core sponsors of The People Speak. In addition, this group has established exciting partnerships with scholarly organizations such as the Brookings Institute, membership organizations such as the World Affairs Councils of America, and youth organizations such as Rock the Vote. Local sponsors include Drake University's Center for Global Citizenship, the Iowa Division of the United Nations Association and WOI-TV.

The People Speak offers a rare opportunity for Americans of all levels to consider topics such as defense, trade, and the environment. “Americans sense that we are at an historic point in international relations and want to better understand these issues,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation.

In addition to the 24 marquee events, The People Speak also has partnered with organizations such as the National Forensic League and the League of Women Voters to organize thousands of smaller, community-based discussions around the country. All of the events are open to the public and are free of charge.

Information about the national and local sponsors, background information on the moderator, participants and speakers, financial assistance opportunities, and locations of other activities is available at www.ThePeopleSpeak.org. Information about the event at Drake can be found at www.drake.edu.

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