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American Diplomatic Leadership in the 21st Century:
Values, Vision and Action

Remarks by Ambassador Michael Klosson
InterCollege Leaders in Action
May 19, 2004

Thank you for inviting me to speak to your group today.  I am impressed that InterCollege has a leadership Club. You are to be commended for taking this initiative.

As students of leadership, you undoubtedly have heard many observations on  “leadership” itself.  One pundit I read the other day, for example, observed “a real leader faces the music, even when he doesn’t like the tune.”  Perhaps you’ll have a score that will put my leadership skills to the test today.  But keep in mind -- I enjoy many kinds of music! 

Everyone, however, has his own favorite aphorism.  There are several I keep by my desk as a guide:

“Leadership is something we earn from followers on a day to day basis.”

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in others the conviction and the will to carry on.

”What I would like to do is to discuss American leadership and diplomacy in the 21st century, from time to time drawing on my own experiences in U.S. diplomacy.  The concept of leadership has changed radically in the twentieth century.  We no longer think of leadership as solely a function of raw power-- not in a Machiavellian sense.  The powerful simply say “go;” a leader says “let’s go.”  The powerful inspire fear whereas a leader inspires confidence and elicits enthusiasm.  Clubs like yours, leadership institutes, and leadership programs at universities are proof that being a “leader” in the 21st century is no longer the same as being the “boss.” 

When I think of American leadership in the world today and my own experiences, three elements come to mind:  values, vision and action.  In order to be a leader, I believe you must have values – those define who you are, what you represent, and why people would want to follow you.  Values are the source of your conviction and others’ motivation.  You must also have a vision that incorporates these values – that demonstrates your understanding of the circumstances you face and where you want to go.  Vision provides clarity.  And then, of course, you must actually take and encourage actions that communicate your values and inspire others to work with you to make your vision a reality. 

How do you measure successful leadership?  That’s where my favorite aphorisms provide answers.  First, unlike bosses who enforce compliance, successful leaders earn the support of followers.  Why – because others share their values, are motivated by their vision and are prepared to act.  Consider my second aphorism --  “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in others the conviction and the will to carry on.”  When you think of leadership in terms of values, vision and action, the true measure of success is when followers are themselves transformed into leaders committed to translate their values and vision into action.  

Values

American leadership – like the American experience itself – is first and foremost grounded in values.  Unlike some countries with long histories of power politics and shifting alliances, Americans do not separate the values that guide their lives at home from those they take with them overseas.   Many commentators have talked about the idealistic impulse in American foreign policy.   It’s a fact.  We stand for the dignity of the individual; for liberty for all; for intellectual, religious and economic freedom; for democracy, limited government and the rule of law; for tolerance, equality of opportunity and human rights for every man, woman and child on this earth.  There have been occasions – such as the images we’ve seen recently from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq – when some of my fellow Americans have fallen short and disgraced our ideals, but the American approach remains firmly grounded in the bedrock of our values.

President Bush said not long ago that “the advance of freedom is the calling of our time.” In fact, advancing and encouraging the spread of freedom has always been America’s calling.   These ideals, moreover, are not ours alone.  They are cherished on each and every continent.  They animate and empower the aspirations of people everywhere.  Some question, for example, whether democracy can flourish in Iraq or the Middle East.  It can, we want it to and it will be brought about ultimately by the aspirations and hard work of people in that region.  The same question has been raised in Asia about China and other countries.  I know first-hand from my experience in Taiwan, which evolved from an authoritarian system in the 1970’s, when I lived in Taipei, into a fully functioning democracy now, that the desire of people to control their destiny is not unique to particular cultures or societies.

Why do over 1 million people move permanently each year to the United States?  Why did the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union collapse?  Why is it that despite different views on some issues, there is a fundamental, unshakable bond between the United States and Europe, one which hundreds of thousands of Americans have given their lives to preserve?  There is a single answer to all three questions:  the values of freedom, democracy, tolerance and opportunity.  Those are the promise of America.  They are the dream of people around the world.  We seek to use our leadership to help make them a reality for all in a more secure and prosperous world.

Vision

Values are only part of leadership.  Leadership also requires vision and action.  What is the vision of American leadership in the world today?   During the Cold War, our vision was crystal clear.  The essence of international politics was a primordial struggle to defend freedom on a global scale from the threat of totalitarian, communist regimes; containment was the strategy.  The end of the Cold War a decade and a half ago meant that we needed to rethink the way we viewed the world, how we interacted with other countries and how we tackled global problems.

For the past decade or so, there was no consensus on what the post-Cold-War era would bring.  People tried catchy labels to organize our thinking in this new era – it was called the age of globalization, the clash of civilizations, the era of democracy and free markets.  But leadership means being able to assess world trends clearly and then formulate new plans, not just invent labels. And then came 9/11.  That day it became clear.  We are in an age of terrorism.  Terrorism did not erase the more encouraging post-Cold-War trends, but it highlighted a new, global vulnerability.  Terrorism is the pre-eminent danger of our age, and became our number one priority. And not just terrorism.  The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction raises the possibility that proliferation might link up with terrorism and bring about a catastrophe even more horrific than 9/11. 

Vision requires that we see things with clarity, and 9/11 helped us do just that.  We saw how shadowy networks of individuals could penetrate open societies and use the power of modern technology to inflict great harm.  We saw more clearly how threats could come from weak or failed states more than from strong ones. We saw more clearly that the gravest danger we all face lies at the crossroads of radicalism and technology.

With this clarity, where do we want to go?  Ours, after all, is a vision of a better world with a strategy for getting there.  We have a clear sense of direction that was articulated in President Bush’s National Security Strategy, issued in September 2002. This embodies a comprehensive approach for this new era.  The strategy has three pillars:

“We will defend the peace by opposing and preventing violence by terrorists and outlaw regimes.

We will preserve the peace by fostering an era of good relations among the world's great powers.

And we will extend the peace by seeking to extend the benefits of freedom and prosperity across the globe.”

Action Through Partnerships

The final component of leadership is action.  American leadership is hard at work in the three areas I just mentioned.  Progress is being made, but none of our accomplishments could be achieved without help from our friends.

Perhaps the “ship” in the word leadership comes from the word partnership. Remember what I said earlier about leadership not being exclusively defined by power? In fact, leadership means being able to convince others to join with you. We have a better chance to protect our values when we act in concert with others.  Partnership is the watchword of American leadership, even though one would be hard pressed to see that from much of the world’s media commentary.   Consider our record:

-- The war on terrorism is taking place on a scale of unprecedented international cooperation.  That is the only way we can go after a network of terrorists operating in more than 60 countries.  We have built a coalition against terrorism unlike any other.   More than 100 nations, working together, have arrested or detained 3,400 terrorists and their supporters since 9/11.  

-- In our effort to deny financial assets to terrorists, we are working through the Financial Action Task Force and the UN.  One hundred and sixty-one countries have blocked terrorist assets around the world.

-- In Afghanistan and Iraq, we are working with 68 other nations who are making contributions.

-- Between the fall of 2002 and 2003, we went to the United Nations Security Council five times to get resolutions on Iraq, and succeeded in securing approval of four.

-- In the Middle East, we are working with the Quartet – which includes the UN, the EU, and Russia – to pursue peace between Israel and Palestinians.  The “road map” was developed by this group.

-- Also in the Middle East region, we are working with a variety of countries in our Middle East Partnership Initiative to provide assistance for educational, economic, and political reform throughout the Arab world.

-- In northeast Asia, we are working within a six-party framework – including Japan, Russia, China and the two Koreas -- to address the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

-- In the Balkans, we are working together with our NATO allies and EU partners to bring about stability and reconciliation.

-- On the trade front, we are working through the WTO, in partnership with the EU and other key players, to liberalize the world trading system and promote development.

-- Finally, we are working closely with the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS to attack that disease.

The United States counts on its partnerships and works through them.  As we reach out together to tackle some of the most challenging issues of the day, these ties will be tested. The problems we confront are complex, and it would be remarkable if we did not disagree from time to time.  When disagreements develop, we must address them quickly and honestly. They must never be allowed to distract us from our shared responsibilities to the world.  The stakes are too high.  Partnership is about working with each other. In some instances, a nation must also be prepared to chart its own course. Afterall, leadership means knowing when to act, but also being prepared to act alone if necessary.  But partnership is our watchword.  We achieve much more by acting together than  alone. 

NATO and the EU

If you need further proof of our commitment to exercise leadership through a network of partnerships, watch what happens next month when President Bush meets with G8 counterparts in the United States, and then travels to Dublin for our semi-annual summit meeting with the European Union and on to Istanbul for the NATO summit meeting.  Our partnerships with NATO and the EU, in particular, are at the core of our global efforts to promote security, democracy and prosperity. 

Some predicted that with the end of the Cold War, NATO would disappear and the United States would end up on a collision course with the European Union.  What has happened?  NATO has enlarged its membership, with others still knocking on its door.  It has expanded its mission, with allied troops now engaged in Afghanistan.  As for the European Union, never has our common agenda been so large and mutually significant.  Cyprus, whose membership in the EU we long advocated and welcomed on May 1, is no longer just an island in the Mediterranean; it is now part of the transatlantic partnership between Europe and North America, with all the benefits and the responsibilities that membership entails.  

Together, the United States and the EU are working to combat the threat of international terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Together, we are promoting democratic development and stability in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. Together, we are leading the effort to liberalize global trade and eliminate the barriers to trade. And together, we are seeking a cleaner environment and enhanced energy supplies through joint research on a hydrogen economy.  From our perspective, a larger EU means more partners to strengthen the transatlantic relationship.  We look to all new EU members to help shoulder our responsibilities to extend to others the benefits of democracy and respect for human rights. 

As new EU citizens, I hope those of you who are Cypriots will get involved in this exciting, broad agenda that binds the United States together with Europe.  Cyprus now has a voice and a vote within the EU on all of these major issues.  For example, Cyprus obviously has a strong interest in combating terrorism and weapons proliferation.  We have welcomed its cooperation in the war on terrorism and look to expand that cooperation, for example, through involvement in the Proliferation Security Initiative we launched last year.  That initiative, which includes seven EU member states among its members, is working to establish cooperative partnerships worldwide to prevent the flow of weapons of mass destruction and related materials to actors of concern. 

Or take the question of poverty.  Half the world's people still live on less than $2 a day.  For millions, especially in Africa and the Islamic world, poverty is spreading, and per capita income is falling. This growing divide between opportunity and misery is both a challenge to our compassion and a source of instability. Cyprus has an interest in closing this gap, joining in U.S. and EU collaboration to expand the circle of development.  For our part, the United States will raise its current levels of development assistance by 50% over the next three years, thus providing an additional $5 billion by fiscal year 2006 in a new program called the Millennium Challenge Account.  Trade is the greatest engine for development.  In the World Trade Organization, we are working hard with our European partners and others on the new global trade round.  If this initiative -- known as the Doha Development Agenda -- succeeds, it will generate $90 billion to $190 billion a year in higher incomes for developing nations.  I urge Cyprus, as a new EU member, to take on this global view-- supporting liberalizing trade policies that will benefit not just yourselves or just Europe, but the developing world as well.

Or take the question of the Middle East.  We are working together with the EU in the Quartet to bring about peace between Palestinians and Israelis.  In coming weeks at the summit meetings I mentioned earlier, you’ll also be hearing much about our Greater Middle East proposal.  This strategy seeks to support peace and security in the Middle East through the pursuit of freedom and promotion of democracy and human rights.  In consultation with various European, G-8, and Middle Eastern partners, we are seeking ways to encourage and support those individuals, organizations, and governments in the region willing to embark on the path of reform and positive change. We are discussing how the EU and U.S. can best work together to support indigenous voices for reform in the Greater Middle East, and hope Cyprus lends its support and commitment to this effort.

Some say that new members must decide between loyalty to Europe or loyalty to the U.S.  We see this as posing a false choice. As President Bush said, these countries have not come all this way -- through tyranny and brave uprisings -- only to be told that they must now choose between Europe and America. One can be a good European and support a strong transatlantic relationship. 

Conclusion