Graduation Day at Patterson

Today, my school graduated its 49th class. I was asked to give the graduation keynote, which I have reproduced below:

Congratulations to the graduating class and to the families of the graduating class, and thank you for asking me to speak. This is the 49th class to graduate the Patterson School, and the fifth that I have had the pleasure of teaching. The first class to graduate from Patterson faced a much different world than the one that graduates today, but let me suggest that there are some common threads that tie together all of the Patterson School’s 49 classes. I’d like to talk about these in the context of the some ideas that the President discussed yesterday in Norway, ideas about the role that the United States has played in international affairs for at least the last forty-nine years.

The President put forth a vision of international society that placed America at the center of the effort to build and maintain a new architecture of world affairs. Since the Second World War this effort has enjoyed magnificent accomplishments, including a reduction of great power war, the spread of democracy and human rights across wide swaths of the globe, and an explosive increase in international commerce. The President concentrated on the role that Americans have played in making this architecture a reality. We can quibble about whether this amounts to American exceptionalism, or simply an appreciation of the Spidermanian notion that with great power comes great responsibility, but I want to use the President’s address as a touchstone for thinking about the contributions that Patterson students make to this vision of international society.

Part of the President’s vision involved a strong, capable military that could maintain the peace and defeat those that menace international society. Patterson graduates do this. Our graduates serve in the military, in the intelligence community, and in all of the elements of government that are necessary to support a powerful and capable defense of American beliefs and interests. If American military power has helped underwrite global security with the "blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms", then Patterson students have played a key role in laying and maintaining the foundation of international society.

The President spoke about the need to facilitate cooperation between nations. He spoke about the value of international law, and international institutions, and of the importance of making and maintaining “rules of the road” that every country, including the United States, must hold to. Patterson graduates do this. Our graduates work at the State Department and at other government bodies to make cooperation and diplomacy happen. They help to build relationships and create peace between our nation and other nations. Our graduates work for non-governmental organizations and international institutions that specialize in democracy, trust-building, and the maintenance of international law. This work matters, and Patterson students do it.

The President also spoke about the idea that freedom from want. He spoke about helping farmers to feed their own people, or nations to educate their children or care for their sick. Patterson graduates do this. Our graduates work in the elements of the US government that administer and dispense international aid. They oversee programs that help ensure that refugees around the world receive food, clothing, and health care. Our graduates in government and in non-governmental organizations work on programs designed to enhance agricultural productivity in developing nations. They also help develop frameworks in which commerce and trade can thrive, giving people around the world the opportunity to improve their lives and the lives of their children. This work changes lives, and Patterson students do it.

For 49 years, Patterson graduates have done these things. Whether in government, or in non-governmental organizations, or with major companies, Patterson graduates have helped make this vision of international society a reality. They have done so in the United States, and (lest I slight our those students not from the United States) they have done so elsewhere. The creation and maintenance of the modern architecture of international affairs has been a magnificent undertaking, and Patterson graduates have played roles in all of its essentials.

I have no doubt that the 49th graduating class of Patterson will continue this tradition. Thank you, and congratulations again to our graduates.