Ethics, Responsibility, Dissent and Integrity
Ethics and responsibility remain headline news in our society. The spotlight has been shined on the questionable actions of senior leadership - in Congress, in corporate America, and in government - which range from ill-considered and unethical to illegal.
What is proper conduct for officials and employees in these situations? Be quiet, complain or impede action? Support the boss, blow the whistle or quit? To whom, are they responsible? In business, is it to the CEO, the shareholders or society? In government, is it to the President, the party or the Constitution?
While there are no easy answers to these questions, they must be explored. Examining such fundamental issues is an integral part of your professional education at the Patterson School . This is accomplished through readings, class discussions, scenario exercises, and guest lecturers. In fall 2006, former Foreign Service officer Brady Kiesling, the first official in the Bush Administration to resign in protest over Iraq policy, explained to our students what led him to take that dramatic step. This year, former Foreign Service Director General George Staples shared with students how the State Department handles dissent, and discussed moral and ethics issues he encountered while serving as U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda. Finally, our 2007 summer reading list included the book by Jim Olson (former chief of operations at CIA), Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying , which thoughtfully addresses ethical dilemmas that can arise with intelligence operations.
It is not our intent to provide you with all the "right" answers or solutions to these ethical questions. How could we? Indeed, the actions people take in such situations are largely determined by their own character, experience, convictions, and courage. Nevertheless, as H.R. McMaster's seminal book on Vietnam made clear, lack of dissent and mistakes in determining where the line falls between loyalty and "dereliction of duty" can have deadly consequences.
What we will do is ensure that you have thought about these problems, have been exposed to the likely options (and consequences), and have the best guidance we can offer to help you handle such dilemmas, if and when they arise.