Salem State College Series

Thomas Friedman
"The World in an Age of Terrorism"

Tuesday
October 19, 2004
8:00 p.m.

SALEM, Mass. - In a speech to a packed gymnasium on October 19, New York Times' columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman warned attendees that the United States faces a more threatening situation now than it ever did during the Cold War. The reason, he said, is because - despite the fact that we were enemies - both the people of the United States and the people of the former Soviet Union loved life more than they hated each other.

The enemy we face today is of a kind we have never encountered before, he continued, and the reason is because this new enemy hates us more than they love life. The danger is a potent one, and only likely to become more so.

During his hour-long speech, Friedman promised to address the issues that he would like to have heard the presidential candidates address in their debates, but didn't. He blamed the 'progress' of the war and the volatile situation we are in today on a series of foolish and irresponsible decisions by Bush's secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Instead of following Colin Powell's eponymous "Powell Doctrine," which dictated using overwhelming force at the outset to take over the country, Rumsfeld went his own way, leading us to the mess we find ourselves in today.

Friedman also explained to the audience how the radical Muslim movement developed, what its spread is likely to mean in the future and what steps must be taken to eradicate it. Claiming he remains an optimist, Friedman concluded by saying "I do believe there is still a window for strategic optimism - and as long as that window is open, I am going to push through it."

The second lecture in the College's annual Series is scheduled for April 5 in the O'Keefe Sports Center on Canal Street in Salem, when Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam speaks on "Legends and Lore of the Red Sox."

Biography

With the 1989 publication of From Beirut to Jerusalem, which quickly topped The New York Times' bestseller list and remained there for 12 months, New York Times reporter Thomas L. Friedman quickly established himself as one of the most knowledgeable -- and most balanced -- authorities on the many and complex issues that continue to fan the flames of discontent in the Middle East. The book ultimately garnered Friedman the 1989 National Book Award for non-fiction and the 1989 Overseas Press Club Award for the best book on foreign policy.

Friedman has reported for the Times from both Beirut and Jerusalem, and was their bureau chief in the latter. In 1989 he was transferred to Washington, where he served as the paper's chief diplomatic correspondent. Shifting to domestic politics in 1992, he became the Times' White House correspondent, where he covered both the transition period and the first year of the Clinton administration.

Thomas Friedman's reportage from the Middle East has won him three Pulitzer Prizes, two for 'international reporting' and one for 'distinguished commentary,' as well as the New Israel Fund Award for Outstanding Reporting from Israel.

Foreign affairs columnist at the New York Times since 1995, Friedman continues to write. In 1999, he published The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, and in 2002 he brought forth Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11. The latter is a collection of his Pulitzer Prize-winning, post-9/11 Times' columns and excerpts from his personal diaries.

Thomas Friedman lives with his family in Bethesda, Maryland.