Today, in his farewell speech as Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan reached over the heads of the Bush Administration and spoke directly to us.
To us, as Americans. And even, yes, to this community. Not by name, but by definition.
Kofi Annan called us out. He challenged us to live up to the ideals that are in theory the foundation of our democracy, instead of merely paying lip service to them. He said Americans must do what this American government, left to its own devices, won't do. I am paraphrasing here, not quoting (quotes are below), but he made it plain that in his view, global peace and justice are within our grasp -- but only if we demand it, insist on it, and take the necessary actions to realize it.
I was lucky enough to be in the audience at the Truman Presidential Library and Museum earlier today for Annan's address.
He of course chose that setting to highlight the contrasts between American presidential leadership in 1946 vs. 2006. But his point was not to compare George W. Bush to Harry S Truman and find Bush wanting, as if anyone on this planet needs any more evidence of Bush's failings. Annan's real point was that America has a unique capability to influence world affairs and world events, and that Americans -- individuals and in groups -- have a unique capability to do the same through our capacity to influence and change the course of our government.
Most people in this world can only lament George W. Bush's presidency. Americans, alone, can do something about it. (And please, let's not turn this into another impeachment debate. Evertyhing that can be said on that subject has been said a dozen times over.)
Annan had much to say about American policy and America's role in the world, in an address entitled "Global Governance and the Role of the United States." But as far as this community is concerned, to me, here is the most important thing he had to say:
As things stand, accountability between states is highly skewed. Poor and weak states are easily held to account, because they need foreign assistance. But large and powerful states, whose actions have the greatest impact on others, can be constrained only by their own people, working through their domestic institutions.
That gives the people and institutions of such powerful states a special responsibility to take account of global views and interests, as well as national ones.
And today they need to take into account also the views of what, in UN jargon, we call "non-state actors". I mean commercial corporations, charities and pressure groups, labor unions, philanthropic foundations, universities and think tanks - all the myriad forms in which people come together voluntarily to think about, or try to change, the world.
None of these should be allowed to substitute itself for the state, or for the democratic process by which citizens choose their governments and decide policy. But they all have the capacity to influence political processes, on the international as well as the national level.
So, here we are: a non-state actor for the 21st century -- part think tank, part pressure group, most definitely a collection of people who have come together to try to change the world.
We have helped bring about a profound change in American governance -- the transfer of both houses of Congress to Democratic control. Kofi Annan is as aware as all of us that this transformation has taken place.
He is also clearly saying that it is not enough, not yet. The challenge is that our work is far from done. He is asking for an America that is a forceful engine driving the world to higher levels of peace and justice. He is telling us it is our calling, as Americans, to deliver it.
And that, to me, is the essence of American Exceptionalism and why I continue to believe in it. Exceptionalism isn't about what we are, but about what we have the potential to be. That potential has never been fully realized; perhaps it never will be. But as long as the chance is there, it is a goal too precious not to pursue.