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Roth opens by asking what it means to say Hawaii has an international role, and the answers from his two guests differ instructively. McClain frames it in economic terms: Hawaii stands at the edge of two grand canyons — Asia Pacific and North America — and must embrace external forces to raise living standards and diversify an economy still heavily dependent on tourism. Tsunoda grounds it in people and culture, arguing that Hawaii's multicultural character makes it a natural setting for international education. Together they inventory what already exists: the University of Hawaii, the East-West Center, APEC meetings brokered partly through the Governor's Office of International Relations, and PBEC's international headquarters recently moved to Honolulu. Tsunoda coins the term "edutourism," describing summer programs that bring mainland faculty for Asia-Pacific training, and McClain calls it more economically viable than ecotourism. A Big Island caller pushes back, arguing that foreign-owned hotels drain profits off the island; McClain replies that the same critique would label Boston and Seattle third-world economies. Callers also ask about Hawaiian sovereignty's effect on international identity and Kauai's slow recovery from Hurricane Iniki. McClain's closing prescription: Hawaii needs to become "a state with an attitude."
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