How to Improve American Reputation in the World

[Music Playing] Stay Craft is a term that reflects and approached the form policy which I became fearful, became concerned, we have lost in the conduct of our foreign policy. We have lost the capacity to identify objectives clearly, we are not connecting our means to our objectives, we do not frame our issues very well in terms of explaining ourselves to the world in a way that makes what it is we think at the right objectives, the right objectives from their stand point, we have lost the sensibility to communicate effectively and persuade. So, if we are going to restore our standing in the world which is the subtitle of the book, one is we have to start with is being clear about what it is we have to achieve, clear about what it takes to be able to get others to join with us. But also we have to realize again that somehow, we have to identify with those larger public goods that those around the world also see is like larger public goods. We need to be a leader, certainly not an impeder of dealing with climate change. We need to be a leader and not a follower when it comes to dealing with the broader questions of poverty, when tree billion people in the world are living unless then $2 a day, they cannot have to access to clean water. This is not only a moral problem and moral outrage. It also becomes a security problem because in many places because of the -- just the grinding poverty, we have failed states and where they are failed states, then you are going to find that radical list mist tend to insinuate themselves. So if we are going to re establish are standing in the world, one of the things we have to do is again we establish are moral standing, but we also have to make it clear to others that we are seen as identifying with would others also identify where there is being profoundly important issue, what are larger issues at public good. One last point on this, I almost by having a title that says Stay Craft and how to restore America’s standing a world, you see two things about me. One is a readiness to say okay, we have lost that standing. But two, the optimistic side of me that says all right, it is not a redeemable. We can restore it. It is not beyond our capacity to do it. And I will make what I would describe as non analytical point not a political point. America’s standing is obviously very low. You see it in all the polls where you actually see in much of the world were seeing as being a problem. And you look at places in Europe where the US is always been seen as having a kind of standing and it is always been seeing this kind of a model and you will find that the perception of United States is a visible low. But if you think about it and I just want to say it is analytical point not a political point you think about it. If Bill Clinton were the Secretary of State, you could go anywhere, and he would be very well received, enthusiastically received and you have to ask yourself a question why? And, what it is about Bill Clinton that would produce that? Well one, he can raise an image of carrying, carrying about others. Two, he can raise an image of generally listening. Three, he can raise an image of wanting to tackle problems that relate to the real needs other and run it to people. And if you begin to think about what that says about where we are today, it also reveals a lot about how we can repair our positions. [Music Playing]