And, yet, our people, as we have seen in the remarkable global response to the terrible crisis in Rwanda, genuinely want to help their neighbors around the world and want to make some effort in our common cause. We have seen that progress can be made as well. The problem is deciding when we must respond and how we shall overcome our reluctance. All of us will make these decisions, in part, based on the distance of the problem from our shores, or the interests of our nation, or the difference we think we can make, or the cost required, or the threat to our own citizens in the endeavor. Hard questions will remain and cannot be erased by some simple formula.
History is on our side.
We should have confidence about this. Look at the march of freedom we have seen in just the last year alone. In each case, credit belongs to those nations' leaders and their courageous people. But in each instance, the United States and other nations were privileged to help in these causes. The growth of cooperation between the United States and the Russian Federation also should give us all great cause for confidence.