Does America have a moral obligation to promote democracy around the world?
I do think we have a moral calling. We were called “the new order of the ages” when we were founded. It was a belief that would be an example to other countries — that was a very American belief. The reason was because we weren’t founded on a nationalistic commitment. We were founded on a universal philosophic belief: All men are created equal. Very few countries were founded that way. We were, and it’s given us a certain role in the world. But I’d have to say in the aftermath of 9/11 it’s not just a moral mandate that comes from our history. It’s also a national security priority. These threats to America arise from regions of the world dominated by hopelessness, failure, ideologies of hate, economic stagnation. America has an interest in those countries having representative governments that serve their people, that make economic progress for their people. That’s a long-term commitment. It’s not something that’s going to be achieved overnight, but that’s the mainstream of American in
