Except for the disavowal of the War in Iraq as a good cause (its only mention notes the war is "winding down"), the president defends America's record as a nation that plays a major positive role in the world, even while getting in digs at his conservative critics -- "I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation." He also sketches a three-part way forward on ending conflicts -- to find ways other than war to successfully coerce bad-behaving nations, to emphasize human rights as a vital component of peace, and to emphasize economic rights and development as a vital component of peace. While saying it in a speech probably isn't enough, this quote should have those who think Obama doesn't care about human rights rethinking their take:And within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists – a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values. I reject this choice. I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please; choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rights of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America’s interests – nor the world’s –are served by the denial of human aspirations.
The whole thing is after the jump.
-- Tim Fernholz
