Elizabeth Spalding, director of CMC's Washington Program and assistant professor of government, was one of three scholars to present at a panel discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., last month on The Truman Legacy: Who is the Rightful Heir? Spalding was one of three respected authorities to participate in the July 17 event, discussing the lasting impression of the Truman presidency as it relates to modern foreign policy.
Joining her was Peter Beinart, editor at large of The New Republic, and John C. Hulsman, senior research fellow at the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom. All three panelists recently have authored salient books on the topic. Spalding's The First Cold Warrior: Harry Truman, Containment, and the Remaking of Liberal Internationalism, examines the presidency of Harry S. Truman and his leadership through the earliest days of the Cold War chill that permeated U.S-Soviet relations for decades.
The Hudson Institute promoted the event as a response to the Bush administration's interpretation of Woodrow Wilson's "international vision." The panelists discussed "President Harry S. Truman's vision of a foreign policy [which was] characterized by a strong defense," and what this says about the War on Terror.
"Today," organizers commented, "both liberals and conservatives are trying to claim his legacy. Which side is the rightful heir?"
The panel discussion was part of the Hudson-Pew Series of debates funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts to explore "critical themes on the vitality and perpetuation of democracy, at home and abroad."
Spalding, the first panelist to present, included a brief history of President Truman to explain her concept of him as a "liberal internationalist"a new type of president unlike Wilson the "liberal idealist," and Roosevelt the realist. She detailed the similarities between Truman's situation and President Bush's.
-Katherine Spada '08