Aug 24, 2020
Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. Amid our current partisan rancor, Retired Army General WESLEY CLARK has chosen to focus instead on the common ground among Americans that could provide the basis for productive policymaking. The founder of Renew America Together, Clark has sought out leaders from both parties, including former governors Tom Ridge (R-PA) and Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), to help make the case for civility and compromise. In his discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, he argues that a commitment to core norms and the rule of law has allowed the American political system to self-correct over time. Formerly the Supreme Allied Commander Europe during the Kosovo War, Clark likewise makes the case for strengthening rules-based international institutions as a means for preventing chaos and war. He criticizes attacks by the Trump administration on these institutions as short-sighted – and a boost to longstanding efforts by Russia and China to undermine American power.