Q&A: Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor & former U.S. ambassador

Jon Huntsman, a former governor of Utah and former U.S. ambassador to Singapore and China, spoke on campus on Friday afternoon. The Daily Princetonian spoke to him about his vision of the nation’s priorities and his advice to college students.

The Daily Princetonian: Has much changed since you were last in Princeton?

Jon Huntsman: It’s still the same old, beautiful, bucolic campus.

DP: What was your reaction to the gun control bill failing to pass in the Senate?

JH: Well, it was once again an affirmation that there’s a lot of passion behind those who are against any change. They’re the activists, they turn out to sway the political process and it should be a clarion call to those who don’t participate who care about the issues that they too need to step up.

DP: Has Washington become too partisan for compromise?

JH: You know, I’d say it’s not about ideology because everyone has a different worldview. It is about extreme partisanship. And that’s driven by money, and that’s driven by lack of term limits, in my opinion — people just stay way too long. They become part of the status quo, the crony capitalistic culture. And a lot of gerrymandering over the years has really produced a very predictable political outcome for the most part. And we’ve somehow disincentivized problem-solving. You’re not rewarded for solving problems. You’re not rewarded for moving the policy ball forward. You’re rewarded for being a partisan player. You get on TV, you get invited to fundraisers, you get written up in newsletters.

DP: Is that ever going to change?

JH: As with anything in American politics, the people have to change it. The people have to become outraged enough with the status quo, which I think is becoming the case, where they say we’ve now blown up the system, we’re not getting any results, we haven’t seen a budget in three or four years. Now, we’ve got to be putting the pieces back together again. And I do believe that what has become the disincentives around problem-solving and finding solutions will now become just the opposite. I think there will be more of a rush to prove to the American people that we can get a few things done, and in order to do that, you’ve got to reach across party lines. You’ve got to focus more on what issues you have in common as opposed to those which divide you. I hope — and I’m an optimist; I wouldn’t be in this business if I weren’t — but I do think we’re entering a period where the expectations by the American people will be higher as it relates to getting at least the basics done.

DP: Looking ahead to your future, is Huntsman 2016 on the horizon?

JH: You know, you’ve got to be a little crazy to do it the first time. And then you say, a second time? But I don’t love the country any less now than I did when I ran. I’ve served as governor, and we found practical solutions for all of our citizens: in education, in economic development, healthcare. I’ve lived overseas four times. I’ve lived in China, where you’re able to gain a much different perspective of this country and what it’s capable of and what is being underutilized, in terms of the firepower that we as a people have — firepower in the sense that we have a strong innovative spirit, and certainly, as Alexis de Tocqueville used to talk about, the ability to repair our faults, which we’re always doing. So I’m a big believer in where this country goes. I’ve never been more optimistic about our economic prospects. But I’ve never been more depressed about our political class and what’s holding us behind.

DP: How will China’s recent leadership transition affect relations with the United States?

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JH: Well, they’re very consumed with domestic stability and will be for some time. And part of what needs to be done in order for them to work through the years ahead — this is the fifth generation, led by Xi Jinping — will be fundamental reform. Reform around the rule of law, expanding the rule of law with certainty, predictability, transparency. And probably with that, the expansion of civil society. We should be playing a helpful role in that, but we have to have a dialogue that’s based on trust in order for us to play that role. So, the cycles of the United States-China relationship are in sync, in the sense that we have a reelected President; they now have a new generation of leaders. We’ve never before seen this, so the externalities that always seem to creep up and make the relationship inoperable are less this go-around. There’s reelected leadership and new leadership, which means you’ve got an opening. So my sense is that the Chinese are ready for a deepened strategic dialogue with the United States. The question becomes, ‘Are we ready to engage?’ and ‘Do we have a strategy that speaks to our longer-term interests in the Asia-Pacific region?’

DP: What role do you see China playing in mediating and diffusing the recent tensions on the Korean peninsula?

JH: An indispensable role. They’re North Korea’s only ally. They’re a border state. They supply North Korea with cash and raw materials, so they have leverage. And as they’ve been able to do before as we saw three years ago, after the sinking of the South Korean naval ship and the shelling of the islands, the Chinese sent some fairly hard-hitting messages then. And I suspect they’re doing so now. This is all news we’ve heard before. North Korea really knows how to manipulate the international community. They know what to say. They know how to apply pressure. And then, they’ve always de-escalated at a certain point. The difference this time is that with Kim Jong-Un, you have a wildcard. He’s never led before. He’s never de-escalated before. So that I think remains the most vulnerable part of this whole crisis.

DP: What next steps do you think the United States should take with respect to that crisis?

JH: Well, you’ve got to do two things. You’ve got to make sure that your downside is covered on the security side. That is, you have to have a process in place to protect our allies and vital interests. Of course, a defense system is in place, forward deployed assets. All of that is where it should be. And I think the President has done a good job there. The second part is the diplomatic part. And that is, we have to up our game with China and with Russia and perhaps even take advantage of some new openings with Japan and South Korea, in terms of strengthening our alliance.

DP: What advice would you give a college student hoping to pursue a career in politics?

JH: Go for it. The nation is in desperate need of the energy and fresh-thinking your generation can provide. Become a specialist. Gain a background that is needed in today’s world. Don’t become a generalist. We have too many generalists. We need experts.