Los estudios internacionales en América Latina: realizaciones y desafíos

Los ESTUDIOS INTERNACIONALES EN AMÉRICA LATINA which we decided to found sorne kind oí prívate institute for the study of intemational affairs. We did not wish to stay permanently in govemment service, and we rightly thought that if we did stay permanently in government service, our ínfluence on government policy would be very strong. But we díd wish that, retumíng to prívate life, to continue to educate ourselves and to help our fellow citizens to educate themselves, in the study of international affairs. Because we felt that it was only by studying them in a very ridgidly objective and scientific way that we could perhaps begin to improve the human relations so as to make sure that a catastrophe like the rust World War shouId not recurro Of course we were over- sanguine and over hopeful; the catastrophe did recurr in the second World War. So deeply routed a habit as war takes a long time to eradicate from the human hearts. But 1 feel right in thinking that, though the approach to the abolition of war through the scientific study of intematíonal affairs míght be a slow and a long road, it was the right road and the sure road. After our meeting, 1 don't know what the attitude of the State Department at Washington was, but the Foreign Office in London was extremely annoyed at this meeting of the temporary officials. The United States and Britain were democratic countries, and the governments could not prevent us from founding a prívate society for the study of intemational affairs, but the Foreign Office were most suspícious of this move on our part. They assumed that intemational affairs were the prerogative of the Foreign Office and that nobody else had any business to deal with them. This assumption after the number of deaths in the first World War, sounds rather unreasonable, but this wasstill assumed. They couIdn't forbid us to found these institutions but they did forbíd all their permanent officiaIs to join the Institute as members. Gradually they changed their rninds. First of aH they allowed government officials to attend the meetings of the Britísh Instítute on the condition that they did not take any part in tite discussions. Then the officials found that it was rather useful to them to attend the meetings, because they could see the different currents of public opinion in the debates which took part of our meetings, on vanous topical questions of international . affairs. FinaHy the officials represented to the heads of the Foreign Office that if they were allowed themselves to take part in thesedebates, they would elicit from the non~official members of the Institute, who were in a majority. still more publíc opinion. International affairs are á very barbarous and backward side of human life and therefore they are very dangerous and very secretive. In the past the ministers of foreign affairs of most countries, or of all countries, have put secrecy or security first and have quite subordínated public relations to security. But now in a democratic country this will not work because if the government or, part of the government does its business in secret, sooner Ol 22