Leading by Example, by Bill Richardson: on Foreign Policy

At UN,embraced Clinton’s vision of international cooperation

President Clinton’s general principles on world affairs earned enormous respect around the world. He was seen as a both a leader and team player. The vision of stable nations working together to bring peace to troubled nations seemed to be within our grasp. The US was respected around the world, and working at the UN meant making new friends--not new enemies, as we have seemed to do in more recent years--in our concerted program to maintain world peace, protect human rights, and support civil government around the world.

I was excited about the opportunity to use my background in foreign affairs, energy, and Congress to support his international program.

US can inspire world with sacrifice instead of arrogance

One of the great failings of arrogance is that it fails to inspire others. Why would the rest of the world want to follow an America that won’t inspire, that won’t sacrifice? As a nation, we have sacrificed our young men and women in Iraq, but the President hasn’t called on the American people to sacrifice in the national interest--the war, for instance, is a credit-card purchase. It’s different from the first Gulf War, when we collaborated with dozens of countries not only to provide armed forces but also to join in paying the costs. Sacrifice and inspiration are part of America’s image internationally, and how we think of ourselves too.

US is isolated; need vision to rejoin world

The polls from most nations, including some of our closest allies, show that approval & trust of the US is at an all-time low. It’s not just that the US has abdicated its leadershi role as the leader of the free world. It’s also unsettlingly true that our leaders have alienated people around the world.

I don’t believe this is a situation that will take long to correct. The people of the world want to believe we are responsible & compassionate, that we are committed to freedom and basic rights, and that we want to participate constructively in world affairs. Visionary leadership and visionary action to implement a new role for the US, will turn the situation around quickly, and America will find itself surrounded by friends and allies once again.

The key to regaining our leadership role will not be the war on terror: it is the creation of a new energy future that provides hope and prosperity for the US and other nations.

Jaw-boning is a non-military way to get things done

Jaw-boning isn’t military, it isn’t regulatory, it isn’t strategic. It’s a tactic we use to change perception, to create publicity or a sense of obligation, & to begin signaling that we are starting to take action.

The Administration has refused to jaw-bone on oil prices, saying it prefers private dialogue with oil producers. My view is that jaw-boning can’t really be effective unless it’s public. The pric of oil is about triple what it was when Bush took office. My jaw-boning effort was successful. Oil prices settled back down by the end of 2000, as we were leaving office. Our actions to secure northeast heating oil supplies in the late summer paid off.