The Former Secretary of State visits the Heritage Foundation for a discussion on the role of the United States in international affairs. She advocates a strong leadership role for America.
She spoke about three great shocks in the last decade that have affected the United State's foreign policy: the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the global economic collapse in 2008, and the "Arab Spring" revolutions in the Middle East.
Former Secretary Rice spoke about American Exceptionalism, saying that the U.S. is the only country that has, as part of its national character, a drive to spread American-style democracy around the world.
She advocated for an "American imprint" on the continuing revolutions in the Middle East, citing historical precedent since World War II. She said the U.S. needed to move from emergency response mode to a more tactical expression of what the U.S. would like the region to look like, and that it would be necessary to take sectarian divides into account.
She also spoke about America's relationship with China, saying she did not expect anything like the Arab Spring revolutions to take place there, but that she did see the nation slowly moving towards democratic reforms. She advocated for more trade agreements with Asia, saying that China is leading the U.S. in trade in the region and in other emerging economies.
Condoleezza Rice served in her post from 2005-2009 under President George W. Bush. Prior to that, she was the President's National Security Advisor during his first term.