Colombia Recipe

Each country's challenge is unique. There is no single recipe to guide them on the path to stronger democracy and greater development. What is clear, however, is that each must seek democracy and development together, not as antagonistic goals but as two sides of the same coin. ... [Read More]

Sovereignty: Existing Rights, Evolving Responsibilities

The reason for prudence is clear-cut. Although sovereignty is less absolute and more contingent than in the past, it remains, as it has been for the past three and a half centuries, a central pillar – and arguably the central pillar – of world order. We do not want to return to a world in which governments routinely intervene in one another’s affairs. In an age of advanced conventional weapons and new instruments of mass destruction, this would be a recipe for catastrophe. Accordingly, there should be a general presumption in favor of respecting sovereignty. But as my remarks this evening suggest, we need to strike a new balance between the rights and responsibilities of states. This new conception of sovereignty must adjust to the needs of weak states, adapt to the forces of globalization, accommodate the need for cooperation, and address the problem of outlaw regimes. Our capacity to achieve this new balance will go a long way toward determining whether we are able to create a ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Thomas Pickering on Forging a Consensus for U.S. Leadership

Thank you very much for inviting me to join you. For a person caught too long in Washington, just the chance to breathe Texas air is welcome. In Texas, the American frontier spirit is palpable. Freedom, ingenuity, and a tradition of neighbor helping neighbor amount to a powerful recipe for a vibrant state. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Byliner: Richard Haass on the Changing Nature of Sovereignty

The reason for prudence is clear-cut. Although sovereignty is less absolute and more contingent than in the past, it remains, as it has been for the past three-and-a-half centuries, a central pillar -- and arguably the central pillar -- of world order. We do not want to return to a world in which governments routinely intervene in one another's affairs. In an age of advanced conventional weapons and new instruments of mass destruction, this would be a recipe for catastrophe. Accordingly, there should be a general presumption in favor of respecting sovereignty. But as my remarks this evening suggest, we need to strike a new balance between the rights and responsibilities of states. This new conception of sovereignty must adjust to the needs of weak states, adapt to the forces of globalization, accommodate the need for cooperation, and address the problem of outlaw regimes. Our capacity to achieve this new balance will go a long way toward determining whether we are able to create a worl ... [Read More]

Docs 367-396

6. The formula of rioting to attract US attention and extract concessions is an old ploy used successfully in the past. The killing in the January 9-16 affair was an unexpected result brought about by the trained Communist additive to the old recipe. The killings produced a real shock causing Chiari to over react and paint himself into a corner. ... [Read More]

Border Control - US Department of State

       Their plan -- called the "Minutemen Project" after the heroes of the American Revolution -- does not have the sanction of the U.S. government. Michael Nicley, head of the U.S. Border Patrol in the sector where the Minutemen will operate, is quoted as calling the plan "a recipe for tragedy." ... [Read More]