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has reset relations with russia, though that remains a work in progress. and has handled relations with china. and, as we will hear, has evolved a sound response to the historic change in the middle east. the u.s. has deep political, economic, and moral interests in the outcome of the arab awakening. the fact the awakening has produced a free elections in countries like tunisia and libya, while it is challenging, it raises new challenges of its own. how will parties governed? what steps will they take to protect individual rights, including those of women and religious minorities and what can be done to reduce sectarian violence? the state department's report on religious freedom, and we have ambassador cook with us today, that report which was released today examines many of these issues and is the theme of the secretary's remarks. no one who has followed her career over decades in doubt that secretary clinton as a personal commitment to freedom of expression and human rights that runs deep and strong in her veins. her intelligence and willingness to speak louldy t-- loudly truth has made her an effective secretary of state. we are delighted to have for today. please join me in welcoming secretary clinton. >> thank you very much. it is a pleasure to join you here today to talk about an issue that shaped the lives of people worldwide as much as any other, religious freedom. i want to thank jessica mathews, for that introduction, and for her service of many years and her leadership as the president of the carnegie endowment. 15 years ago, she was writing about trends that were beginning to get people's attention. like the rise of information technology and the creation of global networks that existed outside of government.

she said those changes would shape global events in ways good and bad and that governments would have to adapt if they wanted to stay on top of global change. she was certainly right about then and i have worked to make the integration of new technology and outreach to civil society groups and the private sector, diaspora communities a hallmark of my time is secretary so that it is not an afterthought. it is not an add-on but it is integrated into the work we do. clearly the work we do will be affected by all of those non- state actors. i want to acknowledge two people. michael, our assistant secretary of state.

someone with whom i have had the great privilege and honor of working over the last several years. and suzanne johnson cook, the u.s. ambassador at large for international religious freedom. someone i have had the privilege of working with in the state department and my previous incarnations as a senator. chris and bill, two of my top advisers from civil society. i'm grateful for their efforts. and all of the representatives from congress, from embassies, members of the religion and foreign policy working group, and others who recognized and are committed to the importance of this issue and what it represents. earlier today, the state department released its latest international religious freedom report. it opens with the words that guide our work and the work of

governments and individuals devoted to freedom of religion around the world. they are the words of article 18 of the universal declaration of human rights. listen to those words again because much of what i will say today is rooted in our constitution and our belief about the importance of the free exercise of religion. but it is important to remember that these words were adopted by the international community, not just by the united states. here they are. everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. this includes freedom to change his religion or belief in freedom, either in alone or with others, and in public or private, to manifest his

religion or belief in teachings, practice, worship, and observance. these are straightforward principles that bring people together in heartfelt unity and disagreement. in the united states, religious freedom is a cherished, constitutional value. a strategic national interest and a foreign-policy priority. it is particularly urgent that we highlight religious freedom because when we consider the global picture and ask whether religious freedom is expanding or shrinking, the answer is sobering. more than a billion people livet systematically suppress religious freedom. new technologies have given repressive governments additional tools for cracking down on religious expression. members of communities that have been under pressure report

that the pressure is rising. even some countries that are making progress on expanding political freedom are frozen in place when it comes to religious freedom. so when it comes to this human right, at this a feature of stable, secure, peaceful society, the world is sliding backwards. meanwhile, several countries with the verse of faith communities are in the process of navigating transition toward democracy. they are wrestling with questions of whether and how to protect religious freedom for their citizens. this goes from tunisia to burma and many places in between. take, for example, egypt, which i visited two weeks ago. i had a very emotional, personal conversation with christians who are anxious about

what the future holds for them and their country. what egypt and other countries decide it will have a major impact on the lives of their people and will go a long way toward determining whether these countries are able to achieve democracy. this is an issue that transcends religious divide. all faiths have a stake in defending an expanding religious freedom. i feel strongly about this. how religious freedom is an essential element of human dignity and of secure, thriving societies. it has been linked with economic development and stability. and it creates a climate in which people from different

religions can move beyond distrusted work together to solve their shared problems. i have also seen how the opposite operates. the absence of religious freedom can create a climate of fear and suspicion that weakens the social cohesion and alienates citizens. that can make it more difficult to achieve national progress. and because the impact of religious freedom extends beyond the realm of religion, and has ramifications for a country's security and its economic and political progress, more students and practitioners of foreign-policy needs to focus more time and attention on it. today i want to make the case for religious freedom and why all people and government should support it. i want to address the argument that people who stand in the

way of religious freedom used to try to justify their actions. >> let me start with what life is like for many who live without this freedom. in the harshest places, certain religions are banned completely. a believer can be sentenced to death. strict laws ban blasphemy and defamation of religion. when your words are interpreted as a violation of those laws, you can be sentenced to death. x"+w"violence towards religious minorities often goes unpunished. the message is clear -- if your beliefs do not have government approval, beware. the same message is delivered by governments that seek the illusionf freedom by creating official, state-sanctioned religious associations. they say, look, our people can

practice whichever of these pre-approved faiths they choose. but if people are caught going outside of these associations to form their own communities or receive instruction from their own religious leaders, they can be imprisoned. religious freedom is not just about religion. it is not just about the right of roman catholics to organize a mass or muslims to hold a religious funeral or bahai's to meet in each other's homes for prayer or jews to celebrate high holy days together. as important as those are, religious freedom is about the right of people to think what they want and come together in fellowship without the state looking over their shoulder. that is where the state-

exercised right of religious freedom is the first right enshrined in our first amendment, along with the freedom to speak an associate. because where religious freedoms exist, so did the others. it is also why the universal declaration of human rights protect freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. they all speak to the same capacity within each and every human being -- to follow our conscience, to make moral choices for ourselves, our families, our communities. these rights give our lives meaning and dignity. whatever religion we belong to. or if we belong to no religion at all. like all human beings and all human rights, they are our birthright by the mere fact of us being who we are, thinking,

acting human beings. they're not granted to us by any government. rather it is the responsibility of government to protect them. this, of course, is not the view held by regimes that block religious freedom. they choose to see things differently. in particular, there are two arguments they make to justify their actions. both are worth examining. the first is that only some people should be allowed to practice their faith, those who belong to the right faith. they define religion in such a way that if you do not believe what they want you to believe, then what you are doing is not religion. there is only one definition of religion. they and only they and the religious leaders with whom they

work are in possession of the ultimate religious truth. others, depending on tradition, are wrong, heretical, infidels. they do not deserve the protection of the law. they may not even deserve to live. because this is an issue that inflames emotions, it can be hard to talk about it constructively. let me simply say this -- people can believe that they and only those like them possess the one and only truth. that is their right, though they do not have the right to harm those they think harbor incorrect views.

but their societies pay a cost when they choose to look at others with hate or disgust. human rights become real not only in interactions between citizens and their government, but also in those millions of ordinary moments among neighborspbtex and classmates a- workers, even strangers on the street. every time people choose tolerance and respect over fear and animosity, they strengthen human rights for themselves as well as everyone else, because they affirmed their shared humanity. that is our religious freedom -- excuse me -- inscribed inlaw, becomes religious harmony flourishing throughout society. religious leaders have a critical role to play in this

process. we need them to encourage their followers -- excuse me -- to embrace the the principles of peace and respect, which are not only tenets of nearly every religion, but also at the heart of religious freedom. and then, most importantly, we need leaders to affirm that respecting the religious freedom of others is in keeping with, not in opposition to one's own rights. when people of all religions can practice freely, it creates an environment in which everyone's freedom is more secure. leaders and governments, meanwhile, have their own responsibilities. people can think what they want, but governments have to act in favor of protecting the rights of all. the world should and must hold governments to a different standard than individuals, whether they are secular or religious, muslim or christian,

hindu, atheistic, or anything else. governments have a solemn obligations to protect the human rights of all citizens, no matter what religion as they believe or do not believe. some leaders try to excuse treating some citizens to prevent others by saying that is what the people want. they said they personally believe in religious freedom, but if a majority of citizens want to see a group locked up or thrown out of schools or fired from their jobs, well, doesn't democracy mean following the will of the people? the answer is there is a big difference between democracy and the tyranny of the majority. the liberty that democracy provides does not include the freedom to do violence to the equality of all citizens before the law.

that is why universal rights are often embedded in constitutions. they provide guard rails against laws that deprive members of minority groups of their rights. when popular opinion supports restricting the rights of a minority, leaders should remember that they owe their people both their loyalty and their judgment. when rights apply only to some citizens and not to others, when principles are subverted to power, that sows the seeds for legitimate grievances and instability. a genuine democracy uses principles to protect the rights of people equally. a second argument that leaders opposed to religious freedom make is that they cannot afford religious freedom yet.

they argue that the result could be instability. a rise in anti-government sentiment, the fraying of social ties, more acts of harassment and violence. n 6ñthis is the same argument tt leaders invoked to justify cutting down on political expression, press freedom, or civil society groups, or any activity that questions the status quo and reflects the citizens' democratic aspirations. in fact, long practice and even academic study shows that it is the absence of religious freedom that is correlated with religious conflict and violent extremism. there is also evident that conflict is more likely when states have official religions and persecuted religious minorities.

that makes sense, if you think about it. when people are treated as equal under the law, hostilities among neighbors subside and social unity has a chance to grow. so does trusted the democratic process, because people are confident their rights will be protected no matter who is in power. in other words, religious freedom is one of the safety valves. it lets people have a say over important aspects of their lives, enjoying their societies fully, and channel their frustrations into constructive lives. otherwise, it is a recipe for conflict and extremism. some governments are coming to realize this. for example, in libya, since the overthrow of gaddafi, the new government has chosen not

to enforce some of his lost that restricted religious activity. they have enshrined the free practice of religion in their interim constitution and outlawed discrimination on the basis of religion or sect. earlier this year, the libyan supreme court overturned a law that criminalized insults against islam. they have come to realize that the best way to deal with offensive speech is to counter it with speech that reveals the emptiness of the insult and the lies. egypt is grappling with these challenges as it navigates its unprecedented transition. i met with members of the new government, including president morsi. religious freedom was very present, behind closed doors

and out in the streets. the president has said clearly and repeatedly in public and private that he intends to be the president of all the egyptian people. he has pledged to appoint an inclusive government and put women and christians in high leadership positions. the egyptian people and the international community are looking to him to follow through on those commissions. i heard from christians who want to know that they will be accorded the same rights and respect as all egyptians in a new government led by an islamist party. they wonder, understandably, will the government looking explicitly to greater reliance on islamic principles stand up for non-muslims and muslims equally? since this is the first time that egypt has ever been in this situation, it is a fair

question. egyptians are building a brand new democracy. what it will look like, how it will work, how it will handle religious pluralism -- egyptians will be writing the answers to those and many other questions for years to come. as i told the christians with whom i met, the united states does not take the side of one political party over another. what we do is stand firmly on the side of principles. yes, we do support democracy -- a real democracy. where every citizen has the right to live, work, and worship how they choose, whether they be muslim or christian or from any other background, where no group or faction can impose their authority or their ideology or their religion on anyone else, where there is healthy competition and what we call checks and balances.

no one institution or leader gets too powerful and the rights of all citizens are respected and protected. the egyptian people will look to their elected leaders to protect the rights of all citizens and to govern in a fair and inclusive manner, and so willingly. and if voters make different choices in future elections, then they and we will expect their leaders to respond to the will of the people and give up power. we are prepared to work with the leaders that the egyptian people choose, but our engagement with those leaders will be based on their commitment to universal human rights and universal democratic principles. another important aspect of egypt's transition is whether citizens themselves respect each other's differences.

we saw that capacity vividly in tahrir square, when christians formed a circle around muslims in prayer and muslims clasped hands to protect christians celebrating mass. i think that spirit of unity and fellowship was a very moving part of how egyptians and all the rest of us responded to what happened in those days in that square. if, in the years ahead, egyptians continue to respect that precious tradition of what every single egyptian can contribute to the future of their country, where people of different faiths will be standing together in fellowship, then they can bring hope and healing to many communities in egypt who need that message.

as we look to the future, not only in egypt, not only in the newly free and democratically- seeking states of north africa and the middle east, but far beyond, we will continue to advocate strongly for religious freedom. this is a bedrock priority of our foreign policy, one that we carry out in a number of ways. earlier today, the united states did release our annual international religious freedom report. this is the fourth time i have had the honor of presenting it. it comprehensively catalogs the official and societal restrictions of people around the world face as they try to practice their faith. it designates countries of particular concern that havepjld particularly severe violations

of religious freedom. this report sends a signal to the worst offenders, that the world is watching. it also provides information to help us and others target our advocacy, to make sure we reach the people who most need our help. in the obama administration, we have elevated religious freedom as a diplomatic priority. together with governments, international organizations, and civil society, we have work to shape and implement united nations human rights council resolution 1618. it seeks to protect people under attack or discriminated against because of their faith. we raised these issues at the highest levels of international settings. i personally have discussed religious freedom in every region of the world, sometimes over and over again. we have appointed our first envoy to the organization of islamic cooperation.

we have launched a strategic dialogue with civil society, in which we collaborate with religious leaders to promote religious freedom, a conflict prevention, and mitigation, and development center-religious dialogue. it includes a foreign policy working group that has provided concrete recommendations on how we can strengthen our approach to religious freedom and engagement with religious communities. beyond diplomacy, we expanded our assistance to individuals under attack because of their beliefs and to human rights activists working in hostile environments to promote religious freedom. these men and women are doing work men and women are doing with great courage. we are proud to stand with them. as part of our human-rights dialogue with china, for example, we have taken chinese officials on site visits to see how religious organizations in

our country provide valuable social services. we organize a visit to a catholic charity that provides help to people with intellectual disabilities, an organization that fights discrimination against arab- americans, and more. we are also taking the message of tolerance and inclusion to young people. a few years ago, hannah rosenthal and our special representative to muslim communities attended a tolerance summit together. it came away with an idea. they began asking young people to pledge to spend just one hour working with people who do not look like them or pray like them. jews were encouraged to volunteer to clean a mosque, muslims to help elderly christians get to church, and other examples. it has elicited commitments

from young people are around the world to spend tens of thousands of hours walking in someone else's shoes. it has even become one of the london olympics official initiatives. it is something that we all have a responsibility to do. seven years ago, when i was a senator, i spoke at a dinner on religious liberty. i challenged everyone there to think of ways we could personally for their religious freedom. including, in the words of eleanor roosevelt, "in those small places close to home." i said it was up to each of us to ensure that our nation, which has always been an exemplar of religious freedom, continues$l to be. our mission is as important today as it has ever been. the united states was founded,$ amongst others, by people

fleeing religious persecution, who dreamed of a place where they could live according to their beliefs, without fear, without shame, without the need to hide. today, we are that place. with all of our challenges, there is no doubting the importance of religion to the vast majority of americans or to the fact that people of faiths and people of no faith live in america openly and at peace with each other. rs1nthe religious life of our nation is vibrant and alive. that has been possible because of our citizens' capacity over time for tolerance and respect. but also because of the work of our government, all three branches, to uphold our constitution, to take

extraordinary care not to favor one religion over another, and to protect equally the rights of all. this has required perpetual vigilance and effort. we all know there have been clashes and stumbles and vigorous, impassioned debate along the way. we are still searching for and moving toward that more perfect union. of course, we like any non- divine entity are not perfect. but we should be proud and grateful for the wisdom of our founders and for the diligence of those who came after to protect this essential freedom. it is rare in this world, but it should not be.

people are not asking for much. they just want to worship their god and raise their children and make their homes and honor their ancestors and mourn their loved ones in a way that speaks to their hearts and reflects their beliefs. what could be more fundamental to human dignity than that? that is what religious freedom makes possible. that is why the united states will always stand for the value, the principle that religious freedom represents, not only for us, but for people everywhere. it is not only a value that we enshrined in our constitution. we know from long experience it goes right to the heart of the stability and security of so

many countries in the world. in this inter-connected world we live in, that means it affects the stability and security of the united states of america. thank you for understanding the importance of this value and principle, and i hope for seeking ways to continue to further it, protect it, and spread it. thank you very much. [applause] now i think we will maybe take a few questions, and jessica? in no particular order -- here come the microphones.

>> thank you so much, madam secretary, for what you do in the world and for the united states. i am egyptian american. thank you for caring about egypt. i am the founder of a democracy for egypt. my question to you, madame, is not only the question in egypt -- i don't know if you read the last report that the change for egypt is asking president morsi right now that he is not delivering what he promised in forming the new government. you mentioned that you will be observing closely and if there would be steps taken. if you could enlighten us on what is next. thank you so much for your effort. >> well, thank you, and let me start by saying that i do

recognize that a democratic transition is a complicated one for any country, and in all to humility, it took us quite some time to get it right, to include all of our citizens, starting with african-americans and women and truly fulfill not only the letter of the constitution, but the aspirations of our people. as i monitor what is happening in egypt, i am conscious of how challenging it is to get off on the right footing, to be absolutely clear what your principles and values are. as you are aware, and there was certainly a very concerted effort by the president and the

freedom and justice party and others associated with it, including the muslim brotherhood, to make commitments about the kind of inclusive a tip that the government would represent, the respect that all egyptians would be held in, and the protection of the rights of all egyptians. now we are waiting to see how that gets translated into action. we are certainly aware of the forming of the new government, with the announcement of a new prime minister. we are waiting to see who is in that government. that will be an important step along the way. we are looking for ways to support the government, particularly in fulfilling the economic aspirations of all egyptians. but we are going to judge by

actions, not words. and the actions the actions are really just at the very beginning stages. it is important to make absolutely clear to everyone that we're not supporting any individual party or any individual. there seems to be a view on the part of some that we are, but that is not the case, never has been the case. we have supported a transition that we hope as lead to a democracy, which, as we have made clear, is not just about elections. there were mistakes in the past, and some of the ways that we shorthanded support for democracy in our country, let's have an election and democracy, and maybe we never have to have another one. one election, one time. we don't have to be held to any standard as to how we continue

to reach out and respect people. i have made it very clear that that is not the case. an election does not a democracy make. we are emphasizing the independence of the press, freedom of religion, the kinds of things that we have learned over many years of practice of what sustains a democracy. as egypt adopt a new constitution, as it votes again for parliament, as its government takes office, we will see a recognition, a commitment to what we view as essential for democracy to be sustainable. now, am concerned that respect for religious freedom is quite tenuous.

i don't know that that is going to quickly be resolved, but since 2011 and the fall of the mubarak regime, sectarian violence has increased. attacks on christians and muslims, sectarian violence, from both communities, has cost lives. we don't think there has been a consistent commitment to investigate and applied the laws equally to the perpetrators of such violence. that it and sends a message to the minority community in particular, but to the larger community, that there is not going to be any consequences for acting out one's own religious prejudices or social and securities. that is the kind of recipe that

can quickly get out of control in terms of conflict and also undermined the new democracy. i am urging the egyptian government at all levels to respect the rights of all egyptians. and i am urging those who are concerned, not only christians, but also moderates, liberals, secularists, to organize themselves. this is something that i started talking to the tahrir square veterans about shortly after the fall of mubarak, that it has been my experience that when democratic space opens up, when freedom opens up and authoritarian regimes are falling, those who are unorganized will not be successful.

how is that for a profound statement? [laughter] but all too often, people who are in the moderate liberal world that don't have the same commitment to organization and follow-through that those whose beliefs are so certain that they know exactly what they are going to try to achieve. there is the religious dimension, at the constitutional inclusive of the dimension, but there is also the political dimension. in a democracy, you have to get out there and work to elect people who represent your views. otherwise, you are going to be sidelined. it is my hope that as we judge egypt's leaders by'v"qk their actions, egyptian activists really get more focus on how to influence of the government themselves.

i know this is a long haul, but that is the way democracy works. it does not happen overnight. oh, my goodness. [laughter] i don't know, jessica, you should be calling on these people. this young man in the middle, in the striped shirt. >> very lucky to see you here. >> thank you. >> religion sometimes mixes with other issues like terrorism. the terrorists, the separatists, mobilize supporters. how to protect religious freedom and counterterrorism as well as a counter-separatism? thank you. >> that is anz"g@o important question, because oftentimes when we talk about religious freedom, there is a tendency for people to worry about the

free exercise of religion somehow supporting terrorists and separatists. i have almost the opposite view. i think the more respect there is for the freedom of religion, the more people will find useful ways to participate in their societies. if they feel oppressed, if there is not that safety valve that they can exercise their own religion, they then oftentimes feel such anger, despair, that they turned to violence and become extremists. now, there will always be people in nearly every society who are going to believe that god is talking right to them and saying, you know, what you really need to do is overthrow

the government, what you really need to do is to kill the unbelievers. there will be people like that. but we're talking about organizing society for the vast majority of people, having people who exercise their religious beliefs lawfully, protected by the law, and people who engage in violence, harassment, intimidation, or other antisocial criminal behavior are punished by the law. but one should not be punished or harassed merely because of who one is or what one believes, unless their actions associated with that. that often is difficult rub in many areas when we talk about religious freedom. you know, it is not just religions against one another. it is even within religions -- within christianity, within

judaism, within islam, within hinduism. there are people who believe in their version of that religion is the only right way to believe. in some of the countries we are most concerned about that are majority muslim countries, it is intimidation and violence against muslims who are in minority sects that we must worry about. we watch for many years the conflict in northern ireland against catholics on onexdxa%jbe and protestants on the other. i think you are right that there always are issues about terrorism, separatism. but those should be dealt with under the law without infringing on the rights of people whose religious beliefs are different from the majority.

i hope that governments can begin to make those distinctions. it is not only important to do because you don't want to breed extremism, which you can do by cracking down on religion, especially if it is associated with the different ethnic group or tribal group, other identifying characteristics. but it is also because if you are not careful, people will feel that they are in a life or death struggle to protect their religion in the majority against the minority. i remember going to bosnia after the end of the war in bosnia, and a woman telling me that she couldn't believe the hostility she started to feel she said to a neighbor, "why are you behaving like this?

we have known each other for many years. we went to school together, we went to weddings, we bury our dead together. why are you treating me like this?" the answer was, "because we were told if we did not do that to you first, you would do that to us." if the government doesn't step in and say, no, we are not going to let people be acting this way, we are not going to let them be discriminating, we are not going to let them be harming others on the basis of religion or any other characteristics, but focusing on religion, they can get out of control of any government. as we know, governments and sometimes stoke religious discrimination for their own political reasons. you have problems at home, the economy is not doing well. let's go find an enemy, let's

go find people who are over there. they are of a different religion. that gets everybody excited. you like a match and you cannot put the fire out. we need to be thoughtful about sorting out the problems posed by extremism and terrorism from legitimate religious differences that should be tolerated, respected, and protected. >> we have time for just one more. may i ask you, when the secretary is finished answering this question, to stay on your -- -- to stay in your seats until >> jessica, why don't you call on the last person? >> i am serving as the general counsel of the american egyptian strategic alliance, working to bring together egypt and the united states in a stronger alliance.

one of the things we been talking to the egyptian government about is this issue of religious freedom, and we told them, look to your left, meeting places like jordan, lebanon, and palestine, where muslims and christians, particularly in palestine, have lived in peace for centuries. i am wondering if your conversations touch upon that. look to your fellow arab countries, where it is not a problem, frankly. just a quick follow-up question. i appreciate your emphasis on america, but we also have our problems here with respect to, of course, is, phobia, which i am sure you are aware of. i'm wondering if you have comments about his recent activity in, targeting one of your own aides. >> well, on the first question, there have been disturbing recent developments with christians being attacked and driven out of iraq, christians

in syria feeling like they are really going to be at risk, almost regardless ofdxwñ$i÷ wha3 develops in the terrible conflict that is now raging. christians feeling that they are under pressure in lots of places in the middle east, where, as you rightly say, they have lived for centuries it side-by-side. i think it is quite important for us to unpack that. why is it happening now? what is it? of course, it is a new political identity, it is an effort by islamists primarily, although not exclusively, to claim a democracy and see how it fits within their pre-existing from works of belief. there's a lot of attention and concern going on right now across the arab world, particularly in places where

christians have lived and would love to continue living. has several questions in egypt told me, our people have been here and i can trace my family back two thousand years. i love this country i want to be a part of this country and i want to help build this country. i just hope i will be able to. it is at this point that leadership is incredibly important. leaders have to be active in stepping in and send messages about protecting the diversity within their countries. frankly, i don't see enough of that. i want to see more of it, i want to see more of it. we did see some of that in our own country. we saw republicans stepping up and standing up against the kind of assaults that have no place in our politics.

we have to set an example, there is no doubt about that. we have to continue doing so. but we also have to expect other leaders to do the same. when i think about how scared so many minorities, religious minorities are all over the "glk i and governments --á believe that governments have a bigger role to play and leveraged than they exercise. to many governments, particularly in these fast- transitioning societies, when there is so much going on at the same time -- too many governments believe their religious freedom is something you get to after you deal with everything else. it is just not a priority for them. we want to raise it up on the visibility list of what they need to be dealing with, and to

try to send a clear message. you need to stand up for the rights of your people. you are a leader of a diverse society. if you are in a rock, you need to be protecting every community, not just one or two at the most. if you are in lebanon, you need to be standing up for every community. similarly, in egypt, pakistan, indonesia, china, india, and where, leaders need to be out front saying that an acting on a. -- and then acting on it. i am hoping that we will see more actions that move in that direction, and the united states will continue to push and prod and persuade and, if necessary, look at ways to use consequences that can send a very clear message that we k&ñ will not be

successful, you will not be stable, you will not be secure, you will not have a sustainable democracy. let me add one other thought about this, though. in some societies, what we're seeing, going back to the young man's question -- terrorism, separatism, and religion -- there can be as fertile ground if the government is not paying attention to all the needs of the people. we also are going to have policies that, if you are living in northern nigeria, you will see more development so that you do not only see -- take on the security front, but take it on the economic development front. eythere are lots of ways to try to knit this together. it is probably the most

exciting time but the most daunting time to be a leader in the world right now, especially in these new transitioning democracies. there are just so many high expectations that will be so difficult to meet. stand for principles, stand for values, and lead them to the space they should have to exercise the most precious freedoms human beings should have gone are regardless of who their leaders are. the united states will stand ready to assist them in any way possible. thank you very much. [applause] /$8mté7 [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national )1?y 2012]

>> following "washington journal," we will go to a hearing with the nominees to be ambassador to afghanistan and pakistan. on c-span 2, the u.s. senate returns for work on the cyber security bill and on c-span 3, a senate energy and national resources subcommittee will look into the backlog of rural water projects. coming up and 45 minutes on "washington journal," discussion on negative campaigning. our guest is chemical testing, the president of the campaign analysis group. in 90 minutes, we feel from the center of democracy and technology about cyber security legislation being considered in the u.s. senate and