“The era of unilateralism is over,” exclaimed Representative Bill Delahunt (D-MA) during the conference to launch the bi-partisan American Engagement Caucus at 10:00am on Thursday, January 21.  

The conference was led by the caucus’ founding members, Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Representative Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-LA), and was complimented by speeches from former UN Ambassador and current President of the Connect US Fund Nancy Soderberg, InterAction’s Lindsay Coats, and Representative Bill Delahunt.  Representative Carnahan opened the conference by pointing out the challenges of living in a global society and stating that an isolated United States would leave the country desolated with military, economic, and humanitarian problems. 

Carnahan reiterated the importance of understanding our global partners and enemies while working multilaterally for America’s best interest.  He made sure to explain that one of the objectives behind the engagement is to create a “smart power” strategy to encompass what Defense Secretary Robert Gates described as, “…military success is not sufficient to win: economic development, institution-building and the rule of law. . . along with security, are essential ingredients for success.”    Smart power as a blend of military strength and creative diplomacy can relieve our security issues as well as reinforce our international image. Subsequently, Representative Carnahan used a quote from President Truman to exemplify an overarching goal of the Caucus by stating,

“It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences.”

Furthermore, Representative Cao discussed the purpose of this Caucus is to alleviate the threats of terrorism, nuclear proliferation, genocide, and poverty while expanding trade in international markets through multilateral work.   He explained that the Caucus will work through a bi-partisan effort to deliberate the benefits and challenges of multilateral cooperation.  Representative Cao also mentioned the example of the multilateral effort to bring humanitarian aid to Haiti, and how this will serve as a model for multilateral collaboration in the future.

Finally, Representative Bill Delahunt provided the conference with more insight on the importance of the Caucus by stating that we have “no option” but to work multilaterally with our global neighbors.  He voiced the concern that unilateralism in today’s world can only hurt the United States’ security, economy, and humanitarian efforts.  Also, he explained that through multilateral work an understanding can develop within our global partners to realize our power is “predicated from a moral authority.”   Each dignitary spoke with integrity and realized the importance of America’s multilateral cooperation in this global society.  With peace and prosperity as its main goal, this Caucus will be an extraordinary compliment to Citizens for Global Solutions and other organizations.  Citizens for Global Solutions CEO Don Kraus said this of the new Caucus,

“Citizens for Global Solutions is thrilled that Representatives Carnahan and Cao are establishing this venue for members of Congress to discuss our world’s most pressing concerns.  From climate change to genocide we increasingly face challenges that no nation, no matter how powerful can solve alone.  Our members across the nation are excited that their representatives will now have an opportunity to build bipartisan consensus on how the United States can best address these issues in a cooperative fashion.”

Don also hinted to hill staff that membership in the American Engagement Caucus will be rewarded with extra credit on the upcoming Congressional report card.  Along with CGS, other organizations are excited about the possibilities that this new Caucus provides. 

Peter Yeo, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign, said:

“At such a critical time in U.S. foreign policy, the American Engagement Caucus is a great way for Congress to work on issues where cooperation is better than going it alone.  As we see the world working together in the relief efforts in Haiti, it is apparent how important U.S. collaboration can be in strengthening American national security and foreign policy interests. We look forward to working with Congressman Carnahan, Congressman Cao, and all of the other members of the Caucus in the future.”

Through the continued efforts of organizations like these and the new American Engagement Caucus, the United States can further work on behalf of all humanity to advance the issues that affect the world.  Representatives Carnahan and Cao explained through an Op-ed piece in the The Hill that

“Historically, America has been the most respected nation in the world because of our commitment to working with all countries on behalf of freedom, peace, and other common objectives.” 

Now, with this Caucus there is greater hope that the United States can further its historic efforts for the betterment of mankind.

Multilateralism is again the focal point for American foreign policy, in a way that has not been seen in a number of decades. The new U.S. engagement is manifesting itself in both word and deed. President Obama's whirl-wind tour of multilateralism is a refreshing sight. President Obama started his tour with a speech to the U.N.'s Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's Climate Change Summit. In his remarks, as he repeated in his address to the General Assembly, he stated that the U.S. is ready to address global problems on the global stage. He recognized that, while the U.S. and other Western states have contributed the most to climate change, the least developed States will bear the greatest burdens. He pledged that the U.S. will do more to combat climate change and help mitigate the effects, but reaffirmed that all nations must make legitimate commitments to reverse greenhouse gas emissions. His words were strong and forceful but more importantly his deeds are echoing more forcefully. Domestically the U.S. is making progress to reduce our emissions.

Next, the President spoke to the General Assembly. His speech covered many topics, but emphasized the U.S.'s commitment to engagement and finding comprehensive solutions to global obstacles. He focused on disarmament, peace building, environmental protection, and economic development. However, the U.S. has not only spoken wisely about multilateral policies, the U.S. has taken important steps to ensure cooperation. The U.S. has taken bilateral and unilateral steps to this end. The administration signaled its willingness to sign new treaties with Russia and has unilaterally withdrawn plans to station missile interceptor systems in the Czech Republic and Poland. The following day he chaired the Security Council as he forwarded a new resolution calling on all member states to increase their nuclear non-proliferation regimes, and reinvigorated the IAEA's role in nuclear arms control.

The multilateralism tour has yet to cease. He is now meeting with the G20 to address climate change initiatives, economic recovery and development. These issues must not be fractionalized/ compartmentalized. The U.S. and political leaders in every state must spend the necessary political capital to ensure that economic growth is also environmentally sustainable.

Click HERE to see our full page on all of Obama's speeches at the 64th General Assembly of the U.N.