U.S. can be shining example to the world

By Lee Hamilton

June 4, 2008

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A common debate in American foreign policy focuses on the roles that values and interests should play in the formulation of our international agenda. When dealing with a country, should we prioritize human rights and democracy, or should we maximize economic and military considerations?

This is a misleading question, however, because interests and values are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Values can be crucial tools in combating and defeating our adversaries — especially ideological foes. The Helsinki Accords, for instance, signed by President Ford in 1975, advanced human rights in the Soviet bloc, undermining communism's oppressive power structure.

But the world has changed a lot since 1975. One of the great challenges for American foreign policy today is that the world is not enamored with the United States and what it perceives as our values. Foreigners read about mistreatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib, encounter harassment at our airports, and see an absence of leadership on climate change.

We must get back to emphasizing the universality of our core ideals — freedom, liberty and democracy — by celebrating and practicing them at home and helping others attain them abroad. We should aim to inspire the world once more. We must emphasize compassion for, and sensitivity to, the universal yearning for human dignity.

We neither can, nor should, solve all the problems of other nations. We cannot dictate our terms to the world or end tyranny with oratory. It takes time for a free and stable society to take hold. We should not insist on the American model, or try to impose democracy — particularly at the barrel of a gun. We are at our best when we inspire emulation, not fear.

The United States still has an inspiring universal message to share with the world. But we must invest in the tools required to disseminate that message.

Public diplomacy, broadcasting, exchange programs and other tools of communication that can help enhance America's image abroad demand greater resources, both human and financial.

But the most repressive governments provide few opportunities to engage their people directly. In such scenarios, America still can and should stand up for universal rights and values: freedom of speech, the rule of law, self–government and economic freedom. But we must do so responsibly and pragmatically.

Pragmatic reform means aiming for reasonable and realistic progress, not perfection, in a given country or region, always seeking to extend rights to more citizens. Ultimately, the success or failure of a democracy, or aspiring democracy, depends upon the actions of its citizens and leaders.

This does not mean the U.S. should ever turn its back on human rights. There are limits to a cold–eyed and hard–nosed American foreign policy that focuses only on a narrow calculation of our national interests.

To fully protect our broader interests, we should adhere to our moral values and stand with those around the world who want a better life. The U.S. has a long history of benevolent leadership and engagement, partly because Americans do care about what happens to people in foreign countries. Additionally, domestic unrest and oppression can cross borders and impact us and the world.

America must do all it can to shape the battle of ideas and regain our status as a role model. Just as we built an alliance with Western Europe on the foundation of shared values during the early Cold War, we must once more join with others.

We also have to bolster multilateral institutions. Instead of pushing for an international system built in our image, America should lead an international system that effectively advances our interests and values, as well as those of our friends.

We must be the free, democratic, decent, humane and prosperous society that others have historically admired and we believe ourselves to be.

 

(Lee Hamilton is Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University and Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.)