Brzezinski was similarly critical of the Bush administration. He was especially vocal in his admonishment of the administration’s definition of threat.
He warned against defining threats in theological terms that draw upon popular fears of an abstract evil.
“We should avoid stamping conflict as religious,” he said. “We will create a religious gulf, the sharp edge of which will turn against us.”
Brzezinski said he was not surprised that the recent terrorists responsible for the Madrid bombings made statements referencing the Crusades.
He also pointed out that after Iraq, the current administration has been suffering from a loss of international credibility.
“The isolation of the U.S., the loss of credibility of the U.S. will produce countervailing forces that will push us collectively into growing and increasingly significant chaos,” Brzezinski said.
Brzezinski speech was met with extended applause.
Alexander N. Rossolimo, the president of the Mass. think-tank, the Center for Security and Social Progress, said he agreed with Brzezinski.
Rossolimo appreciated the indictment of the Bush administration as “not doing things for the welfare of mankind.”
“I’m looking forward to reading his book,” he said.
Brzezinski’s latest book, The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership, was published earlier this year.
Paul Bodnar, a first-year Ph.D. student in government, was similarly impressed.
“This speech was a good reminder of why its good to listen to people who have experience. Like his book, this was a clear, precise view of American foreign policy,” he said.
But not all listeners said they were stunned by Brzezinski’s ideas.
While Jason Larkin, a Ph.D. candidate in comparative politics, conceded that Brzezinski gave a “good speech,” these were all things he said he had heard before.
But Larkin added that it is a message worth repeating.
“It was nice to hear strong opinions not couched in political correctness. He didn’t say anything revolutionary, but people who are important need to say those things,” he said.