Paul Schroeder, Ph.D. – Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science

Dear Colleagues:

Greetings, and I hope that you and yours are healthy and safe in this socially-distanced time.

As part of that distancing, we’re continuing the “Friday Lunch” as an online event. After over thirty-years of in-person discussions it’s a bit of an adjustment; but it has been good to see colleagues who have moved away and now can take advantage of the new format.

This week we welcome back to virtual campus our longtime colleague Paul Schroeder, who retired this summer after many years as Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science. Paul was an expert and popular teacher and (if any administrators are reading this) the campus desperately needs to continue the set of China courses that he created (in my humble opinion!). At least this week we can all benefit from his knowledge as he joins us to discuss perhaps the most important single topic in international politics.

U.S. – China relations can be seen through many lenses. One is the balance of power and international security. That includes, for example, the fact that most U.S. policy-makers see relations between the PRC and Taiwan as an international relations issue, and the Chinese government does not. China appears to be getting stronger compared to the United States, and perhaps more aggressive; what does that portend? Another issue, of course, is economic: conflicts over terms of trade, intellectual property, and other concerns. President Trump made these issues central to his foreign policy and domestic political profile, but what has he actually accomplished, and what might happen next? A third issue is the “clash of systems” – though differences in terms of human rights and other procedures may be less with one president than with another. Overlaying all these long-term issues is the Covid-19 crisis, which shapes rhetoric for domestic politics, attitudes towards international organizations, the patterns of trade (consider the dependence on China for many relevant products) and overall economic performance.

Potential disagreements between the U.S. and China are deep-rooted and will exist whether the next President is Donald Trump or Joe Biden. What policy-makers do is normally shaped by what they can do, not what they want to do, and constraints on the election’s winner will be substantial. Yet it also seems likely that a President Biden would act differently from a re-elected President Trump. So Friday’s topic is both about the issues and the men – and so some of the stakes in the election.

Signing In

This semester’s discussions will begin at 12:30 p.m., the usual time. The meeting will be set up as from Noon to 2:00 p.m., so people are not all signing in at the same time and to allow for the discussion to run a bit long. Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion. Every Monday the same information will be posted on our website: fridaylunch.case.edu.

If you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. This week’s link for registration is:

https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkcOGvrj8tGNKWhpUWSbvf4qufsIubgF_s

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please e-mail padg@case.edu if you have questions about how the Zoom version of the Friday Lunch will work or any other suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you. We are very pleased to be partnering this semester with the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program to share information about the discussions.

Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,

Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Paul Schroeder earned his Ph.D. from Ohio State in Chinese Politics in 1987, writing his dissertation on regional power in the Chinese political system. Before embarking on his Ph.D. studies, he was a journalist covering police, city, county and state government for several Ohio newspapers. While doing his dissertation research, Paul represented the State of Ohio Department of Development in Wuhan, China. He then joined the staff of the National Committee on U.S. ― China Relations in New York, managing programs in law and economics.

From 1995-2007, Dr. Schroeder was managing director of East-West Trade Development, Ltd., a firm that assisted American businesses with international trade opportunities, especially with China. He also co-founded Families of the Fallen for Change, a lobby group advocating a political solution to the Iraq war, and as part of that has worked with senior members of Congress to develop policy alternatives. As Visiting Professor of Political Science for over a decade, Dr. Schroeder taught inherited courses including “Introduction to International Relations,” “Politics of Development in the Global South,” “The United States and Asia,” and, “The Politics of China,” and added courses on “China’s Foreign Policy,” and “Political Thought and Political Change in China.” He also created a SAGES seminar on China’s environmental challenges and policies.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

October 16: Covid-19 and the Economics of Health Care. With J.B. Silvers, Ph.D., John R. Mannix Medical Mutual of Ohio Professor of Health Care Finance.

October 23: COVID-19: Rapid Research and Rapid Revelations. With Mark Cameron, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences.

October 30: Election Forecast Discussion. With Karen Beckwith, Ph.D., Flora Stone Mather Professor of Political Science, and other faculty.

November 6: “Banning the Box”: The Substance and Politics of Legislation to Reduce Obstacles to Hiring Felons. With Daniel Shoag, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics.

November 13: Targeted Assassinations and Other Red and Not-So-Red Lines. With Shannon E. French, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Inamori Professor of Ethics, and Director, Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence

November 20: What’s the Beef? The Controversy Over the Health Effects of Red Meat. With Hope Barkoukis, Ph.D., Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Professor in Wellness and Preventive Care and Chair, Department of Nutrition.

December 4: The Economics of Sports After (?) COVID-19. With Jonathan Ernest, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Economics.