Pepperdine People Magazine
Pepperdine People Magazine Spring 2006
Where Relevance Matters: Seaver College Professors Coauthor Authoritative Book on Security
By Jerry Derloshon
Seaver College professors Dan E. Caldwell and Robert E. Williams, Jr., collaborated recently on a book that tackles an issue on most people’s minds. Seeking Security in an Insecure World (Rowman & Littlefield 2005) was written to introduce both students and the general public to the complexities of international security in the post-Cold War world.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, security has taken on new meaning and new forms. Today’s security agenda includes the threat posed by infectious disease, global warming, oil shortages, ethnic rebellions, transnational criminal organizations, and, of course, terrorism. It contemplates cyber-warfare as well as more traditional forms of war against both states and non-state actors.
Caldwell and Williams make a formidable writing team. Caldwell is a Distinguished professor of political Science and has held positions at the Naval postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and in the executive office of the president in Washington, D.C. Williams, an associate professor of political science, has written on arms control and human rights, and is a former Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow in arms Control and Disarmament. The two faculty members are excellent examples of the kind of quality that Pepperdine students expect from teachers who are relevant both in and out of the classroom.
Williams says collaborating with his colleague on Seeking Security was a pleasure and, “probably something we should have done long ago.” Before he and Caldwell met, the two were teaching and researching many of the same topics. “In fact,” says Williams, “quite independently, both of us entered academia and focused on international politics because of our concerns about international security in the context of the Cold War.” He added, “Given our parallel interests, it seems natural that we should have eventually come around to working together on a book about contemporary security issues. I’m glad Dan suggested it.”
As for the relevancy of Seeking Security in the classroom, both scholars insist it would be hard not to be relevant teaching a subject like international relations. Says Williams, “My problem is trying to decide what not to bring into the conversation about world politics. This past semester, my International Relations class was treated—they might say ‘subjected’—to everything from Thomas Hobbes’ reflections on the state of nature and the World War I poetry of Wilfrid Owen, to Francisco Goya’s painting of Saturn Devouring One of His Children, and a brief discourse on what urban architecture tells us about security and governance.”
Caldwell also takes to heart the relevant nature of his courses. “Look at the stature of the U.S. in the world on September 12, 2001,” notes Caldwell. “We had unprecedented support; the highest level of support since the end of World War II. Today, it’s at the lowest it’s ever been including Vietnam. The growth in anti-Americanism since the Iraq war started won’t be overcome for decades. We may never see again the kind of solidarity we once had.” Students in his classes have ample opportunity to ponder such realities in an impartial setting where balance is a priority; and where no one political view is touted over another. “I have a responsibility to be schizophrenic; that is, to separate my views in class from my political views outside of class,” muses Caldwell.
After working for over four years on Seeking Security, Caldwell and Williams probably would not be criticized if they chose to take a much deserved breather following the book’s publication. Neither, however, shows any sign of letting up. Caldwell participated in an intensive program in the Middle East on terrorism and the threat it poses to democratic societies. Called “Defending Democracy, Defeating Terrorism,” the program was sponsored by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) in conjunction with Tel Aviv University, and took place from May 27 to June 7, 2006. Participants visited military bases, border zones, and other security installations, and heard experts lecture on methods of deterring terrorist attacks. Caldwell joined academics, diplomats, military and intelligence officials, and politicians from Israel, Jordan, India, Turkey, and the United States.
In addition to completing the Middle East study trip, Caldwell has plunged head-first into an entirely new venture—writing a novel—and sees the light at the end of the first-draft tunnel. An admirer of Ken Follett and Nelson DeMille, Caldwell came up with the idea for an international political thriller while visiting the government’s joint POW/MIA accounting command at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. His story focuses on uncovering Vietnam-era secrets that only come to light by applying advanced DNA research methods and a lot of investigative work on the part of two clever, resourceful protagonists. To help him with his research for the novel, Caldwell spent hours scouring microfilm at the Library of Congress. His face lights up when he talks about the writing adventure. A former student of his, Chad Creasey, now a successful screenwriter, has been providing feedback, support, and encouragement.
Meanwhile, Williams is working on a new book about a subject that has occupied his mind a lot over the years: human rights. “This one is a close look at U.S. human rights policy with a view toward explaining why we sometimes hesitate to embrace the international human rights standards we’ve done so much to promote since the end of World War II,” says Williams. “There are some good reasons and some not-so-good reasons. I’m planning to cover them all.”
Caldwell and Williams felt their first collaboration was so successful that they teamed up to write an article—not yet another book—which considers the principles that ought to be part of a jus post bellum (“justice after war”) addition to traditional just-war theory.
“Toward the end of our work on Seeking Security,” Williams sums up, “I came across a quotation from Winston Churchill: ‘Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.’ The ‘monster phase’ has faded from memory enough that I’m able to enjoy the ‘toy phase’ of a new book.”
