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Sandy Berger, President Bill Clinton''s National Security Advisor at the conclusion of his presidency, chose the Belfer Center and the Kennedy School as the venue on March 13 for his report card on Clinton''s foreign policy with selected journalists and academics.
Berger opened with an overall view of the achievements of the administration - from the expansion of NATO to the transfer of all nuclear weapons from Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan back to Russia - balanced by the limitations imposed by a Congress most often controlled by the opposition party.
Granting the Clinton team credit for considerable success in economic management of the international scene and for the continued viability and relevance of NATO, journalists and academics pushed hard on the former National Security Advisor to defend other challenges and missed opportunities. Among the former there were spirited discussions about the Middle East and on the drawn out and unresolved conflict in the Balkans.
Among the "missed opportunities" there was special emphasis on the area of arms control and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which was rejected more than a year ago by the Senate after what many present considered inadequate preparations by the Clinton Administration. The significant expansion of acts of "humanitarian intervention" also proved contentious in terms of both appropriateness and burden-sharing with our allies.
Well accustomed to defending the Clinton foreign policy record in public fora, Berger provided a clear and coherent argument on the political achievements in light of the political dictum of "the art of the possible." Specifically, on the highest priorities, containing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, engaging China and Russia in constructive dialogue, and containing violence around the world, Berger argues that the President and his team "got it right."