US Will Need Time to Reclaim Reputation
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has asked everyone to remain patient because the new US administration, which will begin work after current President George W. Bush leaves office in January of next year, will need time to reclaim "the ground lost" by the US.
Albright spoke on Tuesday at a luncheon hosted by the Houston-based Gülen Institute. She also participated in the opening ceremony of the city’s first Turkish cultural center, cutting the ribbon of the new facility. Albright, who served under the Clinton administration, believes the new US administration will return to the mainstream positions of US foreign policy. "He [Barack Obama] and we must also be very patient," she said. “We cannot expect to recover all the ground we have lost in the first 100 days or even in the first 1,000 days.
It will take time to reclaim America's reputation as a champion of human rights and to restore trust."
"In a world that lacks direction, there can be no doubt that a pathfinder is needed. And that role is unlikely to be filled by those who now challenge democratic values, by radical populists, aggressive nationalists, autocrats or the apostles of a holy war," she said. "It is much more likely to be found in the values that reside at the heart of the Gülen Institute and this luncheon series. These values include commitment to international dialogue, an understanding of cultural diversity, support for human justice and a love of peace. And that's a pretty good platform to bring the world together. And it's an excellent reflection of America at its best. And it's a perfect starting point for a discussion of global affairs as we await the inauguration of the 44th president of the US."
She said the election of Obama to the US presidency and Dmitry Medvedev to the Russian presidency marked a generational shift in the world. Albright also praised the Gülen Institute for constructing a positive image of Muslims. "As a result of the work of the Gülen Institute and others, people don't automatically identify Muslims as terrorists. That's what's happened," she said.
She added that the US lost its moral authority in the Iraq war. "We lost our way," Albright said. However, she noted that she believed the Obama administration would continue support for democracy. "That's our best export," she said, pointing out, however, that democracy should not be imposed.
US Rep. Al Green also delivered a speech at the event. Green praised the Gülen Institute, saying that the institute "is about the business of helping us to bring the peace that we all seek."
"I compliment the institute for cultivating an ecumenical approach to racial and ethnic symbiosis. I can be myself and you can be yourself and we get together to make things. I think this is what the institute is all about," he added.
US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee also noted in her speech that great things have come from the institute. "We are in a transformational moment. And the Gülen Institute has captured the framework of what is transformational. It is a social system that respects every human being for individual human dignity. I am delighted to have an institute that embraces the idea of a new system of foreign policy, embracing peace as much as security," she said.
"Turkey is a wonderful example of a democracy, of a Muslim country, of a strong ally, of a friend of the US, and I think they are going to have a pivotal role as we begin to negotiate peace in the Middle East under new leadership, a new secretary of state and this great foreign policy team. Turkey is going to be pivotal, and we look forward to working with them," she added.
Other attendees of the luncheon included Ambassador Edward Djerejian, the founding director of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University; Texas Sen. Rodney Ellis; Shell CEO John Hofmeister; top executives from various television stations; British Consul General Paul Lynch; Turkish Deputy Consul Ali Findik; Oklahoma Secretary of State M. Susan Savage; Greater Houston Partnership President Jeff Moseley and other select representatives from various academic and civil society institutions.
The Gülen Institute was established in October 2007 as a nonprofit organization through a joint initiative of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog.
The main goal of the institute is to promote academic research as well as grassroots activity toward bringing about positive social change, namely the establishment of stable peace, social justice and social harmony by focusing on the themes of education, volunteerism and civic initiatives. (Ali Halit Aslan, Houston)
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