Pacific Lutheran University

October 12, 2007

Rolf Schütte, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, visited campus last Thursday to participate in a roundtable discussion about his country’s perspective to the War on Terror.

Germany defines the “War on Terror” differently than America, Schütte said. The country supports the ongoing war in Afghanistan but it opposes the United States-led Iraq War. He argued the war in Iraq wouldn’t solve the global terrorism problem.

In this podcast, Schütte also describes how his country struggles to balance free speech and individual rights with attempts to track down international or local terrorists.

Schütte is based at the German consulate in San Francisco, which works to establish, maintain and develop ties between Germany and the residents of Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Alaska and Wyoming. The main areas of concern for the consulate include economic and trade relations, and scientific and cultural exchange.