Senator Lugar responded to my letter. Once again, he and his staff impress me because he always answers my question. The other 2 representatives I write, always give me a form letter that does not address what I wrote about in the first place. While Lugar's has elements of a form letter, he still answers my question.
Most important to me, he really does sum up what our challenges are globally. Something I am not sure his fellow Hoosiers truly appreciate or understand the impact of the global marketplace. If we lose him, it will be a sad day for this country:
Dear Mr. Lorinczi:
Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate this opportunity to respond.
Both prior to and following the Presidential election, political prognosticators and news reports suggested my potential candidacy for a cabinet position, specifically the position of Secretary of State. In response, I made it clear to the press and to both presidential candidates that my interest is in continuing my service in the United States Senate. Subsequently, on December 1, 2008, President-elect Obama announced that his choice for Secretary of State would be Senator Hillary Clinton.
If the United States is to remain secure and prosperous it must seek to shape the diplomatic and economic conditions in the world. To make diplomacy effective, we have to work constantly to ensure that we can apply a broad range of geopolitical leverage when we need to do so. This is the work of foreign policy that does not make headlines and is all too often neglected by policymakers and historians alike. We have a tendency to glamorize the dramatic milestones of foreign policy: military operations, summits, diplomatic crises, or groundbreaking speeches. Historic landmarks like the Cuban Missile Crisis make for compelling treatment in books and movies. Such events capture our imagination, because we relive the struggles of leaders during times of great risk as they weigh the potential consequences of their actions.
But the effectiveness of our policy usually depends on the preparation that has occurred over decades. It depends on how diligently we have attended to the fundamental building blocks of U.S. foreign policy, especially alliances, trade relationships, well-functioning embassies, reliable intelligence, humanitarian contacts, effective treaty regimes, and a positive reputation abroad. If this preparation has been neglected, no amount of charisma, bravado, or diplomatic skill by the commander in chief and the national security team will make up the deficit. Attending to the building blocks of national leverage not only increases our opportunities for foreign policy success, it decreases the chances that we may be cornered in a position where military force becomes necessary.
The United States faces dynamic world conditions that bear little resemblance to the Cold War era in which most current policy-makers came of age. The global financial crisis has demonstrated both the connectedness and the fragility of the world economy. Meanwhile, we are struggling to come to grips with the rapid economic advancement of China, India, Brazil, and others. Even as new economies try to find energy to fuel their ambitions, the specter of climate change looms with unpredictable implications for economic activity and conflict. We are witnessing troubling trends in global food production, communicable diseases, and water resources that will continue to impact economic and political stability. The massive transfer of wealth to energy-rich states has turned some corrupt and hostile regimes into regional powers. The spread of information technology has opened up wonderful possibilities for global cooperation, but it has also helped to empower terrorist cells.
To successfully deal with these and dozens of other conditions, the next Administration must think every day, not just how to solve problems that are already manifest, but how to increase U.S. leverage in the future. No amount of skillful decision-making can make up for a diminishment of the core strength of U.S. foreign policy. Maintaining this core strength is painstaking work. It can be measured in alliances, trading partners, diplomatic capabilities, exchange programs, international agreements, global respect, and numerous other factors.
In my role as Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I will closely work with the new Secretary and the Obama Administration in working to formulate constructive policies to address these issues.
Thank you, again, for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
RGL/cga
