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Richard Haass addresses Hamilton graduates.

An emphasis on diplomacy and strong recommendations on the resolution of world conflicts in Iraq, Iran and Israel among other global challenges, was the focus of Richard Haass' remarks at Hamilton College's Commencement on Sunday, May 20. Haass directed policy planning in the Bush administration at the State Department, reporting to Colin Powell, until June 2003. He is now president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Haass gave the address at Hamilton's 195th commencement in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House, where 455 students received bachelor's degrees. He said that even if graduates don't choose careers in diplomacy, "you should become informed citizens and active participants in the world. Your government and the policies it adopts will affect you. This is equally true if you pursue a career in the arts, the law, business, science, or professional football," he advised. 
 
Haass noted that some today "are tempted to think of diplomacy as something from the past...Some see diplomacy as unnecessary for the United States. Other countries may have to negotiate to protect their interests, they argue, but the most powerful country in the world can surely protect its interests alone." 

But, Haass said, a lack of great power competition "creates an opportunity for the United States to lead efforts to integrate others countries into common institutions and understandings that can tackle global problems. The notion of diplomacy as quaint, obsolete or unnecessary is deeply, fundamentally, even dangerously wrong."
In today's global world, Haass explained, "every country, no matter how powerful, is vulnerable to threats and dependent on others. Because of this no country can consistently impose its will on others or insist on its own way." 
 
Haass said diplomacy can play a role amidst war, citing Iraq. "Continuing U.S. involvement there must be premised on the notion that Iraq will remain a messy and divided country for years," he said. "The best and most the United States can hope to achieve is to keep open the possibility of something approaching normalcy until Iraq's Shias, Sunnis, and Kurds are prepared to act more in national than in sectarian terms." Haass said diplomacy is needed to help local political leaders forge agreement on the sharing of political and economic power and to influence the actions of Iraq's immediate neighbors, "who are either making a difficult situation worse or not doing what they can to make a difficult situation better. Generals are the first to point out that this war cannot be won with arms alone. Here, diplomacy is not an alternative to force so much as its complement," Haass explained. 

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, he suggested that "President Bush should outline positions on the principal issues that would inform any final peace accord. The territorial divide should reflect Israeli security and demographic realities," Haass said, "but provide Palestinians compensation for departures from the 1967 lines. Palestinian refugees should have the right to return to the new Palestinian state, one that would receive generous financial assistance. Palestinians would gain a foothold in Jerusalem and Muslims would gain authority over their holy places," Haass said.

Also during Commencement, honorary degrees were presented to F. Eugene Romano, a 1949 graduate of Hamilton College and local businessman; Sherwood Boehlert, former U.S. Congressman, 24th District; Dr. Johnnetta Cole, president of Bennett College; and Haass. 

In her speech, class valedictorian Heather Michael (Red Hook, N.Y.), told how she found herself describing herself as "Heather, a Hamilton student" during job interviews. "Until recently, I hadn't really contemplated what these words mean, or how they relate to the question of my identity. But now, I can't help but wonder… why is it that I've placed so much emphasis on Hamilton when attempting to define myself? Clearly I've considered my role as a Hamilton student to be a significant layer of my identity-- so significant, in fact, that I've consistently listed it second only to my name," Michael said. 

"I used to believe that any liberal arts college would offer me a similar experience--a similar potential for growth and self-discovery. What a foolish assumption... Today when I dissect myself in terms of the roles I play, the challenges I've met, and the projects and relationships that I invest myself in, I realize that much of who I am can be distinctly traced to my experiences at Hamilton. I have not simply been a student, I have been a Hamilton student."

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