Condi Rice's Vision Of 'American Realism' [Permanent friends-Libya, Vietnam, Russia]

Forbes ^ | 1-23-08 | Carl Lavin and Paul Maidment

[SJackson]

Davos, Switzerland - An American secretary of state has several choices when addressing a glittering international forum: to sound a rallying cry for a renewed fight against terrorism, to soothe nervous investors with a detailed plan for the global economy, or to zero in on one trouble spot in an effort to build support for a focused plan.

Condoleezza Rice took a different tack Wednesday in her first major address in person to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. She painted an optimistic picture of American leadership based on ideals--the ideals that were the foundation of the new country more than two centuries ago.

Rice used her speech to promote the values of what she called "American realism," a foreign policy based on the principles of open markets, democratic capitalism, the rule of law and human rights. It was an inclusive speech that outlined a world in which the U.S. pursues the "triumph of its ideals" in developing free-market democracies.

Nonetheless, she had some sharp words for the governments of both Russia and Iran, challenging Iran to agree to conditions for direct talks.

The U.S. has no permanent enemies, Rice said, but it does have permanent allies. She listed former enemies now working together: the U.S. and Libya, the U.S. and Vietnam, the U.S. and Russia. Responding to a comment several days ago from President Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania, who said that Russia's economic growth could lead to a new cold war, Rice called the idea "hyperbolic nonsense."

Take that, Valdas.

That doesn't mean that everything is sweetness and light among allies. Even in praising "the extraordinary alliance" of the NATO countries, Rice was firm about what she sees as NATO's unwillingness to commit more troops and resources to Afghanistan. There is "a real war in Afghanistan--not just a peacekeeping operation," Rice said, addressing what she called tensions in the alliance.

She spoke following a short speech by President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. After a full 24 hours of nonstop talk at the Davos conference about markets, liquidity and the economy, Karzai brought the conversation back to the issue his nation faces every day: terrorism, which he called "a venomous snake."

"It has nothing to with religion," Karzai said as he warned against complacency. "The terrorism we are fighting is a political mutant," he added, calling for a "focused, determined and sustained" government effort, with local populations empowered to confront the threat.

"The terrorism we are fighting is an existential force, not a conceptual challenge," he said. "The terrorism we are fighting is a political mutant, a Frankenstein, created through the folly of shortsighted policy for the reckless pursuit of misperceived interests."

Karzai added, "No individual or entity must be allowed to support extremism with impunity."

There was no immediate response from other NATO nations to the pleas from Rice and Karzai for more assistance in the fight in Afghanistan--and, by extension, in Iraq.

If the U.S. has no permanent enemies, Rice said, she has hope for the Middle East, hope that someday--soon--there will be two nations, Palestine and Israel, side by side, in peaceful coexistence. What would that peace really mean?

"Palestinians will never again suffer the humiliations of occupation," she said. "Israelis who have so proudly and justly defended the Jewish state" will have the security they have sought for so long.

Immediately after Rice's remarks, the conference co-chairs joined her onstage to discuss some of their goals.

One was PepsiCo (nyse: PEP - news - people ) Chief Executive Indra K. Nooyi, who said, "Prosperity is the enemy of terrorism." She noted that the boundaries of government, corporations and civil society are blurring and that business needs to be included in tackling the big issues.

It was Rice, near the end of the session, who shared a saying that serves as a humbling reminder to those of us scribbling notes. It was something she said she tries to remind herself of every day: "Today's headlines are rarely the same as history's judgment."

Forbes Special Report Davos 2008

[Yo-Yo]

Say what you will about Rice, I know there is no love lost here on FR for her, but I will venture that putting her on the Republican ticket as VEEP is the only chance Mitt has of stopping the Clinton-Obama ‘08 steamroller.

[Wiz]

Rice used her speech to promote the values of what she called "American realism," a foreign policy based on the principles of open markets, democratic capitalism, the rule of law and human rights.

The rule of law and human rights while attempting to normalize relations with North Korea with a regime ignoring it? Permanent friends and no permanent enemies? I think she ignored the words from Winston Churchill. I would rename her approach as "American Unrealism". Her skills of foreign diplomacy was lower than I thought.

[toddlintown]

P-s-s-t! Nobody likes Condi here. She’s a tool who fit right into Foggy Bottom.

[RightCenter]

Whatever happened to “Draft Condi”?

[toddlintown]

“Whatever happened to ‘Draft Condi?”

Yeah. The old days.