What a country calls its vital... interests are not things that help its people live, but things that help it make war.
For centuries, the interests of the state were put above those of the individual. We (Russia) were practically the last of the civilized peoples of the world to realize that the strength of the state lies in the well-being of its people.
Governments are not normally concerned with the welfare of the people they govern.
Personal interests have no importance compared to national interests.
I have served in the Senate since December 2012 with seats on the Appropriations and Commerce committees and previously served as the lieutenant governor and in the state House. These positions provided me insights on Hawaii's priorities and how to effectively work with stakeholders to achieve meaningful results.
When you meet a head of state, and you say, 'What is your most precious natural resource?' they will not say children at first, and then when you say, 'children,' they will pretty quickly agree with you.
We are on the path toward becoming the Sparta of the 21st century, armed to the teeth and without the capacity to care for our own people.
The performance of international institutions will be symptomatic of the domestic political priorities of influential member states. International institutions don't really have a life and a mind of their own.
The challenge is sort of capturing the issues that Oregonians feel strongly about and moving forward on those.
