US diplomat discusses his New York Times’ Bestseller on citizens’ obligations

Dr. Richard Haass discussed his new book, “The Bill of Obligations – The Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” Monday at the Colorado Mountain College Aspen Campus. 

In the book, Haass, who served as president of the Council on Foreign Relations from 2003 to 2023, outlines 10 obligations citizens should abide by to accompany the rights listed in the US constitution. Along with knowing their rights, citizens should analyze their own responsibilities as members of a society.

“What do we owe one another?” asked Haass in the discussion. “What do we owe this government and this country?” 

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He said the reason he wrote the book was to start a national conversation in a time when the US’ most significant threats to national security and stability comes from the divisive nature of the country. 

“Increasingly, I think the biggest national security challenge, even though I don’t think of it as a national security challenge, is the quality of American democracy,” said Haass, adding, “If we can’t come together, we’ll never meet our domestic challenges. If we don’t meet our domestic challenges, we’re not gonna have the resources or the bandwidth to play a large role in the world.”

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Haass said constitutional rights only get us so far without obligations to balance them. For example, a citizen’s right to bear arms comes into conflict with another’s right to personal safety, a citizen’s right not to wear a mask comes into conflict with another’s right to public health, he said. 

“Obligations are the other side of the coin, the other piece of the puzzle,” said Haass, referring to how they relate to constitutional rights. “And they have to coexist.”

Among the obligations in his book are the obligations to “Stay Open to Compromise.” Compromise, he writes in the book, “is essential to getting things done in any situation in which power is distributed among multiple sets of hands, which is the case in a democracy.”

One of the reasons Haass outlined the obligations is due to the inherent murkiness of making political and social choices. In history, choosing between absolutes, good and evil, is easy, said Haass. What’s more difficult is choosing between two things that are good, he added.  

“That’s when you need something more than absolutes,” he said, “because absolutes will get you nowhere.”

Steven Skadron, vice president and campus dean of CMC Aspen and Carbondale, who moderated the discussion with Haass, said choosing between two good options is something that is a challenge in Aspen. 

“We’re hearing right now in the debate around the airport,” Skadron said, referring to the difficulty of choosing between multiple good options. “More specifically, we’re challenged to provide sufficient housing for the community, yet we also prioritize the preservation of open space.”

In his book, Haass emphasized the obligations to “Be Informed” and to “Get Involved.” An informed citizenry is an essential part of democracy, something Thomas Jefferson valued when designing American political virtues, he said. 

“I want people to be involved, don’t get me wrong,” Haass said. “But I don’t want people to be involved before they’re informed.”

On the local level, Skadron said that might look like reading the Aspen Area Community Plan, an Aspen City and Pitkin County document that outlines the aspirations the community prioritizes. 

CMC Business Professor Bennett Bramson said he thinks “The Bill of Obligations” is one of the most important recent pieces of literature relating to the United States and the government, which he credits to Haass’s long career in public service. 

“He comes from a background where he is able to take an objective view,” Bennett said, adding “He served under Presidents and political systems in different ways. He’s able to analyze our system and give it a sense of objectivity that we really need.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.