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Richardson Campaign Press Release - Bill Richardson Plan for "A New Realism" in U.S. Foreign Policy to Appear in Foreign Affairs

December 17, 2007

Richardson plan will repair damage of Bush administration and restore American leadership

MOUNT VERNON, IA-- New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson's bold and detailed foreign policy initiative will be showcased in the January/February 2008 edition of Foreign Affairs.

The essay, entitled "A New Realism: A Realistic and Principled American Foreign Policy," is available today on the publication's website. Click here to read.

"We must reject both isolationist fantasies of retreat from global engagement and neoconservative fantasies of transforming other countries through the unilateral application of American military power," Richardson writes. "Our policy also must go beyond the balance-of-power realism of the last century. In this new, interdependent world, we need a New Realism-- one driven by an understanding that to defend our national interests, we must, more than ever, find common ground with others, so that we can lead them toward our common purposes."

Richardson's foreign policy philosophy is grounded in his experience as a special envoy, hostage negotiator, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He also has served as a Congressman and Secretary of Energy and currently is the two-term Governor of New Mexico. He recently was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize (his fifth nomination) for his many diplomatic efforts, including leading negotiations with rebels and the Sudanese government to establish a cease-fire in the war-torn Darfur region.

"The next President must have the experience and ability to handle the diverse and serious global challenges facing our country, and in this important piece, Bill Richardson clearly shows why he is the best person for the job," former U.S. Ambassador George Bruno said. "We saw how badly on-the-job training worked with George W. Bush. The nation cannot afford a learning curve for the next President. Bill Richardson is ready to lead from day one."

Governor Richardson believes that the priorities for American foreign policy are to get all U.S. troops out of Iraq and engage countries around the world in a new diplomatic dialogue. Restoring America's reputation also must be at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy; a cornerstone for that must be a renewed commitment to human rights.

"We must be impeccable in our own respect for human rights," Richardson writes. "We should reward countries that live up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as we negotiate, constructively but firmly with those that do not. And when genocide or other grave human rights violations begin, the United States should lead the world to stop them."

U.S. leadership is a recurring theme in Governor Richardson's essay and is a prerequisite for tackling the serious problems facing the world, including global warming and developing renewable energy technologies.

"The United States must be the leader, not the laggard, in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Richardson writes. "We must embrace the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and then go well beyond it. We must lead a man-on-the-moon effort to improve energy efficiency and to commercialize clean, alternative technologies.

"In the wake of the Bush administration's failed experiment with unilateralism, the United States needs once again to construct a foreign policy that is based on reality and loyal to American values. Such a policy must address the challenges of our time with effective actions rather than naive hopes. And it must unite us because it is inspired by the ideals of our nation rather than by the ideology of a President."

Bill Richardson, Richardson Campaign Press Release - Bill Richardson Plan for "A New Realism" in U.S. Foreign Policy to Appear in Foreign Affairs Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/295118

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