Ahead of commencement speech, former NSC director for Eastern Europe discusses the value of a public policy degree
By Eric Ruble
To say retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman has been in the news lately would be an understatement. As the former National Security Council director for Eastern Europe, he has appeared online and on-air to share his substantial knowledge about Ukraine and its geopolitical history. But his expertise is not merely professional; he immigrated from Ukraine (then part of the U.S.S.R.) to the United States as a refugee when he was 3 years old.
On April 5, Vindman spoke about the invasion of Ukraine alongside former Rep. Jane Harman. Vindman says a number of countries are hesitating to publicly support Russia or Ukraine, and the most dangerous of these is China. He believes Russia promised Chinese leaders a brief campaign in Ukraine that would only last a few days.
“That didn’t materialize, and China is sitting out on the sidelines. But if Russia does achieve some gains, China will return to its natural state, which is supporting Putin and the authoritarian alternative to Western liberal democracy,” Vindman said. “That could be decisive because that would be just a broader proxy war between East and West.”
Harman agreed, saying countries outside the U.S. and Europe are “hedging their bets.”
“They’re not picking a team here – they’re not. They’re condemning the violence, but they’re not signing up for full-blown sanctions against Russia. In fact, some of them are trading with Russia and some of them have trading arrangements with China too,” said Harman, a Presidential Scholar-in-Residence at USC Price.
Vindman said world leaders should not use the threat of nuclear war as an excuse for inaction.
“The bar for nuclear war is extremely high because of mutually assured destruction. It is an almost-impossible threshold. So, the prospects for a broader nuclear war are there – we should be mindful and plan for them – but they’re not something that easily unfolds,” he said.
Harman said weapons of mass destruction – even if not nuclear – remain a concern. She believes America’s failure to take enough action against Syrian President Bashar Assad following his use of chemical weapons set a dangerous precedent. Harman said that combined with the Russian annexation of Crimea, it “empowered Putin to think he could get away with this.”
“I worry a lot about the use of chemical weapons because there is a history of Russia doing it,” said Harman, who served as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee during her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.
On May 13, Vindman will address USC Price graduates at commencement – as Harman did in 2011. Vindman says he was drawn to speak at USC Price because advocating for public service is part of a mandate he created for himself.
“It was an easy decision to speak to the graduates of USC Price given its stellar reputation. As the graduates take their first steps along this career path, I hope I can imbue them with a sense of pride and purpose in their decision to enter public service,” he said.
Vindman provided some hints about what he plans to discuss in his speech. He says he will talk about the meaning of service and how important it was to him during his decades in uniform.
“The values and judgment that I learned as a public servant taught me to persevere through adversity and enabled me to continue serving in and outside of government,” he said. “Since leaving the military, this experience has been invaluable as I continue advocating for U.S. national security interests and weighing in on geopolitical issues.”
Vindman says a degree from a public policy school provides the fundamental tools necessary to fulfill that directive.
“Once paired with practical experience and institutional knowledge, they will have accumulated the skills necessary to work in the service of the American public. But perhaps most importantly, by earning a degree from USC Price, this student body has already committed itself to a career in public service. They have already chosen to adopt the values of selfless service and demonstrated they are eager to work for something bigger than themselves,” he said. Vindman’s visit comes at an especially pivotal time in politics. His personal connection to global affairs will offer USC Price graduates a unique perspective as they embark on the next phase of their careers, regardless of what they studied or where they plan to work.