Pierre Hassner: “Nobody has the power to lead the world”

Pierre Hassner, research director emeritus at the Center for International Studies and Research in Paris, talked on Thursday, Nov. 26, in the NAB Auditorium about the role of the US and the EU in international politics. The third event of the Ambassador Elena Poptodorova Distinguished Lecturers Series for this semester was held under the title "How Important is US and EU Leadership for World Stability?"

"I don't know the answer," Hassner said about the question of whether there is such a thing as leadership and stability at all. The world is not stable; it is moving in opposite directions and the idea of unilateral leadership is difficult to comprehend. Hassner gave as an example the situation of the so-called failed states such as Afghanistan and North Korea, whose central governments are so weak that that they have little control over the country's territory. Partly because these states are difficult to control and stabilize, the overall international political stage is insecure. "Nobody has the power to lead the world."

"There is no substitute for the EU and the US," Hassner said. However, their disagreement lies in the way they defend their beliefs in an uncontrollable world. While the US has a history of intervening militarily in almost anarchic ways, the EU is an example of how institutions and mechanisms can create external power. As a result, they are growing more and more apart, Hassner said, adding that the French proverb "If the young only knew; if the old only could," illustrates the interdependence of the EU, or the "old," and the "young" US. An example of this relationship is the time when France advised the US not to engage in the Iraq war, Hassner explained.

Still, in a complex world filled with contradictions, adversaries, competitors, and allies, the EU and the US face the same challenges, Hassner said. He gave the example of the Chinese emerging economy. With the arrival of Obama, it seemed that the EU and the US could work together. However, Obama, indecisive, and disrupted by global problems, has not achieved any success yet, Hassner said. He added that this was the only time he allowed himself to be optimistic about politics.

Hassner said that in international relations, unipolarity in the distribution of powers does not exist, as the world we live in is a complex system. There is no right and concrete solution to the question of leadership and stability, he said.

Junior Ermela Bufi called the lecture "a frightening reminder." She added that even though Hassner argued how fragile democracy can be and how the world cannot find stability, he also gave hope and showed some instruments that can at least help make the situation better.

Sophomore Aleksandra Ivanov said that judging from Hassner's biography, she expected a more interesting lecture. She added she was hoping for more concrete and less pessimistic answers to the EU-US cooperation on global problems.