Diplomat, international relations expert and author Richard Haass is on a mission to start a national conversation regarding the importance of being a good citizen, and the timing has never been more urgent.

“This is a truly consequential moment in history,” Haass told the 620 guests at the 19th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on March 1. “There is so much at stake in this moment; what happens here will affect the world, and what happens in the world affects our country.
 
“If ever there was a time to get involved, this is the year.”
 
Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, has served in the State Department under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, at the White House under President George H.W. Bush, and at the Pentagon under President Jimmy Carter.

He was U.S. envoy to the Cyprus negotiations and the Northern Ireland peace process, and after 9/11 was U.S. coordinator for the future of Afghanistan.
 
At the breakfast at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, Westmont President Gayle Beebe presented Haass with the Westmont Leadership Award “in recognition of his contributions to international relations, authorship of many books, role as diplomat, valued adviser and aid to four presidents, and for his 20 years at the Council on Foreign Relations.”

Haas has just published his 16th book, The New York Times bestselling The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, at a critical time for the United States and in an effort to inspire Americans to get better informed and involved.
 
“I’m a foreign policy guy, but I came to the conclusion that the biggest single security challenge facing the United States is us,” he said. “Increasingly the foreign policy conversation has to become a domestic policy conversation.

“Are we going to be so divided that we are not able to meet our domestic challenges (i.e., public education, immigration) or so divided that we are not willing to contend with the world in anything remotely like an adequate way?”
 
Haass argues that if we can begin to bridge some of our domestic differences, the country would have the bandwidth and unity to deal with international challenges. He stresses the importance of “putting country before party or person.”
 
“It’s not our ability to play in the world — it’s our willingness,” he said.
 
Haass shared his perspective of geopolitical events impacting the world, including the Russia/Ukraine war, the war in the Middle East, and concerns about the relationship between the United States and China.

“The Cold War ended 3½ decades ago and yet history seems to have returned with a vengeance,” he said. “The big questions facing Ukraine depend largely on continued support from the U.S., and the fact that I even have to raise the question regarding whether or not the U.S. will stand by victims of aggression is shocking and disheartening.”
 
Regarding the escalating situation in the Middle East, Haass said there needs to be a political dimension — the war will not end with military force alone.

And the biggest question facing the United States and China is ensuring that the two nations’ differences don’t create conflict and finding areas of cooperation, which he calls “the ultimate test for diplomacy.”
 
Haas also touched on “weak countries,” like Sudan, Yemen and parts of Mexico, and the threats these countries face when they can’t govern or police themselves.

He discussed other global challenges as well, including climate change and the rise of artificial intelligence, sharing optimism that advanced technologies, public-private partnerships and creative foreign policies can collectively address climate concerns.
 
“The biggest determinate in how successful we are with all these challenges is going to be us,” he said.
 
“This is a truly serious time — it’s one of those times that I actually feel history. With all of my years in foreign service, my greatest takeaway is that nothing is inevitable; history is not scripted.

“We will look back on this time and see which way history goes, and it will depend on decision making and execution alike.”
 
The Westmont Foundation, businesses and individuals sponsor the Westmont President’s Breakfast to promote “a conversation about things that matter,” as well as to raise funds for student scholarships.

BMO Bank was the event’s lead sponsor.

Before introducing Haass, Beebe highlighted some of Westmont’s milestones over his 17-year tenure, including 450,000 square feet of renovated buildings; the new engineering building; 70 majors; the fully accredited nursing school downtown that now boasts 12 graduates working at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital; the CATLab and AI Lab; Westmont TV featuring curated content; Westmont Downtown’s Keith Building for new and expanded programs; an endowment exceeding $100 million; and a new one-year executive leadership certificate.

Beebe also talked about his faculty as “experts in their field who possess a love of educating students.” And the strength of the college’s diversity with 20% of the student population identifying as Latino or Hispanic.

Finally, Beebe shared that he recently authored a new book, The Crucibles That Shape Us, about life philosophies and his time at Westmont, including brushes with catastrophic disasters like the 2008 Tea Fire, the 2017 Thomas Fire, the deadly 2018 Montecito flash flooding and debris flows, and the COVID-19 pandemic.