A New Definition of Citizenship: Rights and Obligations. Richard Haass

Let's Find Common Ground

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future

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5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 September 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When we consider the meaning of citizenship, most Americans usually think about individual rights. In this episode, we hear a bold call for change. Our guest, Richard Haass, says that if democracy is to survive, we must re-envision citizenship and consider our obligations to one another. He argues that the greatest threat the country faces comes not from foreign adversaries but from none other than ourselves. Finding common ground and healing bitter divides, he says, requires placing obligations on the same footing as rights. "We get the government and the country we deserve. Getting the one we need is up to us." A highly experienced diplomat and policymaker, Dr. Haass served in the Pentagon, State Department, and White House under four Presidents, Democrat and Republican alike. His new book is "The Bill of Obligations. The Ten Habits of Good Citizens". For 20 years Richard Haass was president of the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. Today he serves as CFR's president emeritus.

Transcript

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0:00.0	When we consider what it means to be a citizen, most Americans would probably say that involves individual rights.
0:08.0	In this episode, we hear a call for changing the meaning of citizenship.
0:12.0	Our guest, Richard Haas, the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations,
0:17.0	says if democracies to survive, we must think more about our obligations to one another.
0:24.0	Individual rights have been raised up to a level of absolutes.
0:28.0	And any infringement of those is rejected by a significant percentage of our society.
0:36.0	And my view is simply, we can't have a society that will function only on rights.
0:41.0	But if these rights are seen in absolute terms, we have to be prepared to compromise.
0:45.0	We need mechanisms for dealing with the friction.
0:54.0	This is Let's Find Common Ground. I'm Ashley Nontite.
0:57.0	And I'm Richard Davies.
0:59.0	Our guest on this episode says the greatest threat to America comes not from foreign adversaries.
1:05.0	But from ourselves, Richard Haas argues that finding common ground and healing bitter divisions
1:11.0	require placing obligations on the same footing as rights.
1:16.0	Haas is an experienced diplomat and policymaker.
1:19.0	He spent 20 years at the Council on Foreign Relations and served in the Pentagon,
1:24.0	State Department and the White House under four presidents, Democrat and Republican alike.
1:30.0	His new book is called The Bill of Obligations, The Ten Habits of Good Citizens.
1:37.0	I was away when this interview was recorded, so Richard, you asked the questions.
1:41.0	Richard Haas, welcome to Let's Find Common Ground.
1:46.0	Thanks so much for having me.
1:49.0	America faces dangerous threats from overseas, from Russia, from China, from North Korea, for example.
	...

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