Condoleezza Rice: The Promise of Democratic Peace

[Thom Little]

By Condoleezza Rice
Washington Post
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005


Soon after arriving at the State Department earlier this year, I hung a portrait of Dean Acheson in my office. Over half a century ago, as America sought to create the world anew in the aftermath of World War II, Acheson sat in the office that I now occupy. And I hung his picture where I did for a reason.

Like Acheson and his contemporaries, we live in an extraordinary time -- one in which the terrain of international politics is shifting beneath our feet and the pace of historical change outstrips even the most vivid imagination. My predecessor's portrait is a reminder that in times of unprecedented change, the traditional diplomacy of crisis management is insufficient. Instead, we must transcend the doctrines and debates of the past and transform volatile status quos that no longer serve our interests. What is needed is a realistic statecraft for a transformed world.


President Bush outlined the vision for it in his second inaugural address: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world." This is admittedly a bold course of action, but it is consistent with the proud tradition of American foreign policy, especially such recent presidents as Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan. Most important: Like the ambitious policies of Truman and Reagan, our statecraft will succeed not simply because it is optimistic and idealistic but also because it is premised on sound strategic logic and a proper understanding of the new realities we face.

Our statecraft today recognizes that centuries of international practice and precedent have been overturned in the past 15 years. Consider one example: For the first time since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the prospect of violent conflict between great powers is becoming ever more unthinkable. Major states are increasingly competing in peace, not preparing for war. To advance this remarkable trend, the United States is transforming our partnerships with nations such as Japan and Russia, with the European Union, and especially with China and India. Together we are building a more lasting and durable form of global stability: a balance of power that favors freedom.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/AR2005120901711.html

[FloridaPat]

1. When did this start? The history I've been finding out is our policy

is to make sure the rulers of any particular country is on our side, not his/her peoples side. * is no more looking to bring real democracy to anyone then he is looking to helpd the poor. And he's doing his best to get rid of democracy here in the USA.

[NoFederales]

2. How does global stability tie in with a pre-emptive war(s)policy Ms. Rice?

And what is the evidence that the US holds partnerships with Japan, China, Russia, the European Union, India, and others? The lies of your administration's policies, the lies you use daily to obfuscate your intentions and fool the public with have been loading down a highly tensioned wire of weighty doubt. When that wire snaps, I hope it coils around you as tightly as a hungry constrictor awaiting its dinner.

NoFederales

[SONUVABUSH]

3. "with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world"

Maybe we could first start with ending tyranny in our own country.

[mmonk]

4. War and fomenting chaos is peace