In January 2006, Secretary of State Rice announced new and potentially important proposals to adapt the State Department and the US aid program to a world where the critical problems within states now are more important to American interests than traditional relations between states. The proposals should be treated very seriously and need to be widely discussed and debated. The real question is are they of sufficient scope and vision to help the Administration better promote its own interests?"

John Sewell, author of the following speech, is a Wilson Center Senior Scholar.