ORONO — A former United States Department of State official and diplomat met with University of Maine students Thursday evening to talk about current international issues and the
Nicholas Burns, who served as ambassador to China, NATO and Greece, shared his thoughts on the Trump presidency, U.S. relations with China and the war in Iran.
“The conflict in Iran is affecting all 50 states, and certainly the residents in Maine,” said Burns. “Because about 17 million barrels of oil per day have been taken off the market because the Strait of Hormuz is closed.”
Burns’ talk was UMaine’s 2026 Cohen Lecture, an event meant to honor legacy of William S. Cohen, former U.S. senator from Maine and U.S. secretary of defense.
According to the university, past speakers include former Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis, former Secretaries of State John Kerry and Madeleine Albright, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and journalists Bob Woodward and Dan Rather.
Regarding the war in Iran, Burns believes there’s even more at stake than rising oil prices.
“When you conduct a war, the whole reputation and future of the country is on the line,” said Burns. “So, I hope that President Trump will be able to wind down operations, as he said in his speech, and achieve a ceasefire.
“A continued war would not be in our interest,” he added. “The problem is the Iranians now control the Strait of Hormuz, and they’re able to exact tribute, charge for the ships to go through. That was not the case before the war began.”
President Donald Trump said this week that the U.S. will continue to hit Iran “extremely hard” for the next two or three weeks.
Burns touched on a number of other topics during his wide-ranging lecture.
Both during his lecture and afterwards in a gaggle with reporters, Burns stressed a message of unity.
“I do think the great majority of the American people are somewhere center left, center, center right. Not on the far right or far left. And yet, our politics tends to skew very much polar opposite,” said Burns. “As a person, as a citizen, I’m looking for positive leadership. A man or a woman who will unify us, and not divide us.”
And he left off on a message of hope for the future.
“Students want to make a difference in our society,” said Burns. “I get inspired by that, when I hear 23 and 25-year-olds talking that way, it means that the next generation understands that everybody has an obligation, in a democracy, to build the country.”