Richard Haass and an American ‘Bill of Obligations’

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

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🗓️ 26 January 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

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Summary

Richard Haass has spent his career thinking about how the U.S. engages with the rest of the world. He has been a diplomat and policymaker, serving under four presidents in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

For the last 20 years Haass headed the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank focused on international policy. He is often asked about the greatest threats to U.S. security. Over the years his answers have ranged from nuclear war to terrorism to climate change.

But recently he has come to believe the greatest threats to the United States come from within.

In his new book, “The Bill of Obligations,” Haass says we focus so much on individual rights that we have forgotten our responsibilities to the country – and one another. He calls for a renewed definition of citizenship, one that includes an emphasis on civic engagement, compromise, and national service.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Diane. Join me for my next book club meeting on Wednesday, February 22nd at 1 p.m. Eastern.
0:11.2	I'll host a discussion of Kindred by Octavia Butler, a time travel story that explores the
0:19.8	savvetry and legacy of slavery. Find out more and register at dianneame.org slash book club.
0:34.9	Hi, it's Diane. On my mind, the duties of being an American. These are things we should be doing in
0:42.9	our schools, should be doing with one another, should be doing on our relationship with the government.
0:48.2	Richard Haas has found his life thinking about how the US relates to the rest of the world.
0:56.8	He's been a diplomat and policy maker serving under four presidents of Democrat and Republican.
1:06.0	For the past 20 years, he's headed the non-Pertison Council on Foreign Relations.
1:12.4	But as he ends his tenure there, he's come to believe the greatest threats to the United States are
1:21.2	from within. His new book titled The Bill of Obligations argues we focus so much on individual rights
1:32.1	that we've forgotten our responsibilities to the country and one another. We spoke Thursday morning.
1:46.6	Richard Haas, before we begin talking about your book The Bill of Obligations, I want to
1:55.2	ask you about the US decision along with that Germany to send military tanks to Ukraine. What are your
2:06.9	thoughts? I think it was a decision that was informed by one the desire to maintain alliance
2:15.5	solidarity, which has been quite pronounced now for a year. I also think in so doing it sends
2:22.0	a signal to Mr. Putin that his hope that time would lead to a fraying of the West is not succeeding.
2:30.8	I also think it gives Ukraine slightly greater capabilities to blunt the thrust of any potential
2:37.2	Russian offensive. I think the big question Mark Diane is whether it changes the military balance
2:43.7	significantly to give Ukraine a greater capability to liberate territory. I think the juries
2:49.6	are out on that. Indeed, that's in part the calculation that led the administration and the Europeans,
2:58.6	and particularly the Germans, to hold off doing this. There's a funny tension in Western strategy.
3:04.1	The West wants to do enough to help Ukraine to make sure it can defend itself. It has been uneasy
	...

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