Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on Peace and Fairness in Iraq.

Exclusive Interview with Natalie Pace.



Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (ret.) Photo by Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The War in Iraq is one of the most divisive subjects of our day, and one that no political leader has an easy solution for. As the authors of the Iraq Study Group Report noted, "No one can guarantee that any course of action in Iraq at this point will stop sectarian warfare, growing violence, or a slide toward chaos." However, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of billions of dollars committed and a war that has entered its fourth year without abatement, a pathway to peace and prosperity must be forged and death, violence, destruction and mayhem must be curtailed.

It's hard to imagine a peace and prosperity when car bombs are exploding every day, and frankly, as you can easily imagine, the smart flee. As Dr. Gary Becker (Nobel Laureate economist) pointed out in an interview with me last May, the brightest and most capable are the first to emigrate when a country falls into a chronic period of war. So, how do you entice the professionals and entrepreneurs of Iraq to stay and rebuild and create jobs? How do you make it safe enough for them to stay?

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (ret.), one of the experts of the Iraq Study Group, knows more than a little about promoting peace, prosperity and equality Equal-Pay-No-Way . For 25 years, she was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, one of the most powerful women in the United States and in the world, and she had to crack a glass ceiling The-New-Road-to-the-Top (without violence) to get there.

In the 1950s, as a woman who graduated in the top 3% of her law class at Stanford B-School-Isnt-What-It-Used-To-Be , Justice O'Connor had difficulty getting an interview above the level of secretary, though her male colleagues found jobs easily enough. In 1981, Justice O'Connor did have the last laugh on those law firms that refused to interview her, however, when she became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court in the U.S. Justice O'Connor served the public good on our nation's highest court until last year, when she retired to spend more time with her ailing husband, John.

So, given her involvement with the Iraq Study Group, as well as her legacy as a public servant, I asked Justice O'Connor for her insights on what the U.S. should be doing to promote democracy in Iraq, end the war, and bring our soldiers home. What, if anything, can the U.S. do differently? What is the best way to bring together the warring factions in the country? Is there anything that the average American citizen can do to help? How can Americans prevent discrimination against women and non-Muslims in Iraq and against Middle Easterners in the U.S. and throughout the world? After four and a half years of U.S. involvement on Iraqi soil, it certainly doesn't seem like sending more soldiers is doing the trick.

Justice O'Connor openly shared her wisdom and insight, by email, on strategies for promoting peace, prosperity and equality both at home and abroad. While Justice O'Connor didn't offer a panacea for peace, her comments about Iraq, and what is needed to establish security and promote peace and prosperity in that country and at home in the U.S., are bold, astute and candid.



Natalie -- Given your legacy in justice in the U.S., you have come across the circumstances and stories of despair and reform that most of us will never see, across an evolutionary timeline that has fostered greater personal freedoms, particularly with regard to gender and race. (Ed's Note: Justice O'Connor was born in 1930, before the civil rights movement established greater freedoms and parity for women and people of color in the United States.) What, in your experience, lays the foundation for transformation of the individual and the community out of hardship, violence and turmoil and toward peace and prosperity, both in the home and in the community?

The foundation for transformation of an individual is different than for an entire community. An individual can move, obtain a job, find a friend or mentor and can begin life anew. But for a community to overcome violence, turmoil, and hardship requires efforts of many people over an extended period of time. Leadership is required and much hard work and commitment by many to overcome major community ills.

You've retired from the Supreme Court, but I've never seen a busier retired person! It is clear from the number of committees that you serve on, many of which are nonprofit, that you have a strong sense of service and calling. What would you say to the average person who wishes to take a more active role in promoting peace and prosperity in the world? How can s/he indeed be, as Gandhi said, "the change they wish to see" when s/he may not know exactly where to begin?

I learned long ago from a Stanford professor that a single, dedicated individual can effect remarkable changes on a family, a community, or a nation. Normally the work will begin with a good idea and a sense of dedication and, in time great changes can be brought about. It is sometimes the person at the bottom of the ladder who can best envision the needed change. Anyone can begin work at the lowest level and with dedication achieve remarkable results.

What is the next stage of social and/or judicial reform that you believe is important for the United States of America and/or the world at large?

In this country I would like to do more to educate all our citizens, young and old, about our courts and judicial systems, state and federal. We need people to appreciate the necessity for an independent judiciary Ñ one which applies the Constitution and laws as they are written and as they must, without fear of retribution from the legislative and executive branches. Our nation's youth must be taught civics and government so that they will grow up to be useful participants in society.

You were a member of the Iraq Study Group, and participated in a deep, broad analysis of U.S. policy in Iraq. Is there anything that you saw or experienced in Iraq that gave you the most hope and optimism for a positive outcome in the country?

As a member of the Iraq Study Group I learned little that made me optimistic. The situation in Iraq is dire.

What do you think is the one of the most important things that Iraqis can do for themselves and their country, and how can Americans best support their efforts?

I hope the Iraqi people can bring about laws and policies to reconcile the Shias and the Sunnis and allow both to work and hold office and positions in government. Laws to regulate the oil resources and permit fair distribution of oil revenues to all the citizens would be helpful.

Has the President established a Senior Advisor for Economic Reconstruction in Iraq, as the Iraq Study Group Report called for? Have you seen progress toward better organizing the reconstruction effort and better husbandry of the funds that have been allocated?

I do not know the answer to this question.

Iraq and Afghanistan have a very different social structure than the U.S., particularly with regard to rights of the individual. Do you have any comments on what kind of role that the Western world should play in influencing traditional societies where people of a certain gender, race and/or religious creed are prevented from fully participating in society?

Education of young people is our best hope of avoiding discrimination on the basis of race, gender or religion.

In my interview earlier this year with Dr. Gary Becker (Nobel Laureate, Economics), Dr. Becker noted that individuals with knowledge and skills tend to flee war-torn regions and migrate to more peaceful communities, where land and life is more secure. Are you optimistic that the recommendations from the Iraq Study Group can create a peaceful country that will attract back the skilled, educated and motivated for the rebuilding and reconstruction efforts of their own country?

As of now only some of the Iraq Study Group recommendations are being carried out. It is uncertain whether any course of action in Iraq can create a peaceful nation at peace within and with its neighbors. It is also uncertain when or if the better educated citizens will be motivated to return to Iraq.

What do you think is the single-most important challenge facing Americans today?

There are several crucial challenges for the U. S. today. Reaching a consensus on our action in Iraq is necessary. We cannot continue as we are. We must address the problem in the U. S. of some 40 million people without health insurance.

We must address global warming and ways to become energy independent.

Where do you find your greatest source of optimism about the future of the U.S. and our world?

Americans are basically good people and optimistic. Our people are our greatest source of optimism.

Have you heard of the Bill in the House of Representatives to establish a U.S. Department of Peace? Would you care to comment on this bill? It is backed by many of the world's spiritual leaders, including Deepak Chopra Gerald-Levin-on-Fear , Marianne Williamson, and more. The bill proponents state that a U.S. Department of Peace will give the best practices of peacebuilding a seat at the table of power in Washington. As the Peace Alliance chairperson, Marianne Williamson says, "What a Department of Peace will do is give a more sophisticated analysis of what constitutes peace, of what it would take to wage peace in as meaningful and sophisticated a way as we now know how to wage war."

No. I have not heard of the proposal.

Editor's Note: To learn more about the Bill to Establish a U.S. Department of Peace, go to http://www.thepeacealliance.org. Find out more about the Peace Alliance's September Walk for Peace at the Calendar section at NataliePace.com.

What do you think is the key to success for any personal or professional venture?

A clear objective, dedication and hard work.

Thank you again, Justice O'Connor, for participating in our series on Peace and Prosperity.

Sandra Day O'Connor once remarked that she hopes her tombstone will read, "Here lies a good judge." In reality, however, Justice O'Connor's achievements are far too numerous to list. She is a hard-working person of integrity, a mother, a wife (married 55 years to husband, John), the first woman to become a Supreme Court Justice, and one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. If the gods are willing, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will continue to break new ground and glass ceilings for many years to come.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is an Associate Justice (Ret.) of the United States Supreme Court. Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated by President Reagan on July 7, 1981, and took the oath of office on Sept. 25, 1981. She retired on January 31, 2006.

Justice O'Connor currently serves as Chancellor of the College of William and Mary and on the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Executive Board of the Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative, the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Advisory Committee of the American Society of International Law, Judicial. She is an honorary member of the Advisory Committee for the Judiciary Leadership Development Council, an honorary chair of America's 400th Anniversary: Jamestown 2007, a co-chair of the National Advisory Council of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, a member of the Selection Committee of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and a member of the Advisory board of the Stanford Center on Ethics. She also serves on several bodies of the American Bar Association. Whew! And, in 2006, she was a member of the Iraq Study Group, which presented President Bush with bipartisan analysis and recommendations for Iraq - which was my reason for contacting her.

Other articles of interest in our ongoing Peace = Prosperity series:

Peace = Prosperity. Q&A with Dr. Gary Becker, esteemed University of Chicago economist and Nobel Laureate, on how freedom, democracy, war, terrorism, riots and gangs affect a nation's prosperity. By Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com, Vol. 4, issue 6.

The Economics of Disaster Management. By Dr. Gary S. Becker. NataliePace.com, Vol. 4, issue 6.

Stars Shine on Marianne Williamson’s Peace Plan. by Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com archived ezine, vol. 4, issue 3.

Steven Tyler, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Smart, Deepak Chopra, Reverend Michael Bernard Beck, Frances Fisher, Denise Brown and Marianne Williamson entertain, inspire and educate Marianne’s Peace Alliance conference attendees to become citizen lobbyists on behalf of House Bill number 808, calling for a U.S. Department of Peace!

Spiritual Gurus Weigh in on The Department of Peace Bill. By Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com archived ezine, vol. 4, issue 3.

China's Evolution Toward Freedom. A candid interview with one of the most respected CEOs in mainland China, Dr. Charles Zhang, Chairman and CEO, Sohu.com. By Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com archived ezine, Vol. 4, issue 1.

Gap's Inc(RED)ible Campaign to Empower Africa. By Natalie Pace. Featuring (PRODUCT) RED. Vol. 3, issue 12.