European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                February 1981 James Reston Haig approaches Job with air of Confidence the stars and stripes kidy3unot Page 11 even in his Well tailored civilian Secretary of state Alexander Haig looks like an army he May seem vaguely uncomfortable in his Pri vate dining room and vast antique furnished reception rooms on the eighth floor of the but he is approaching his Job with an air of Confidence and his private conversation is More relaxed and philosophical than his confirmation Tes Timony in the he has been concentrating on the lines of authority to president Reagan in order to make Clear that he is in fact the general manager and principal spokesman on foreign affairs under the but his attitude toward his responsibilities is and for the time studiously he is concerned but does not seem obsessed with the soviet military As he sometimes seemed to be during the sen ate he does not oppose a renewal columns comments of strategic arms though Hes in no and he wants to get one thing straight in any preliminary talks with the russians before getting Down to negotiations on the control of weapons in his it is important to try to reach agreement on what he Calls the norms of International that is to he thinks a serious attempt must be made to establish rules that would outlaw the use of military either directly or to achieve political ends anywhere in the he does not oppose what has been called competitive coexistence Between Moscow and Washington for influence in third coun but he is against an arms limitation agreement that sanctions or tolerates direct military intervention by the red army As in or by cuban financed and supplied by the soviet in latin America or maybe he can get such an but whether it would be honoured is a differ ent after the soviet Union signed the United nations which specifically forbids the use or threat of Mili tary Force to achieve political but this did not deter Moscow from using Force in Czechoslovakia or Afghani or keep the cuban army out of Angola or president Carter tried to get some such agreement out of the russians when he signed the Salt ii treaty in but Leonid Brezhnev replied that the soviet Union would never give up its policy of giving Aid to wars of National Haig wastes Little time try ing to imagine whats in the soviet but prefers to be Clear about what should be in Washington for Security begins at and this is clearly one Secretary of state who will not be fussing with his old buddies at the Pentagon to hold Down the military in he wonders if the United states can really meet its responsibilities As effectively As it should without a military he knows this is not reagans favorite sub and for the time being is a political but As he he has favored a draft for five and nothing he sees from his new lofty position at state has changed his perhaps More than recent secretaries of Haig is intensely concerned about this country relations with our neighbors in Mexico and the he is planning trips to Europe and to but Hopes to make a strenuous Effort to improve relations with Mexico before president Lopez Portillo reaches the end of his term next he is arguing against deep cuts in the foreign Aid for one of his problems is to assure projectile Power in and around the Horn of where Friendly or at least Neutral governments depend not Only on direct Aid from the United states but also from the world he feels that he has put in place an experienced team at the top of the state he defends his judge against severe opposition in the and expresses Confidence in despite Clarks Lack of foreign expert he will not work around Haig Clark will be Given full Opportunity to be the second Man at and will have to Hack it like everybody Haig is not indifferent to the importance of encouraging human rights in the but he is not going to give it the High priority it had under and he has put this subject in the hands of Ernest a whose commitment to human unlike is not exactly also the new Secretary of state has no illusions that Washington will be an easy he will have trouble with where the protectionist tide is rising and the anti communist fever is even higher than his but he has taken Over the first position in the and there is a kind of Bull dog determination about him that is not Likely to be trifled with either in Congress or in his coming struggles c new York times William Safire 1981 los angelas times Syndicate Fafe of human rights under Reagan Wither human rights in the Reagan administration will the United states fling its arms around righting dictators and Stop trying to end torture and to Foster the growth of democracy some recent political history human rights was rediscovered As a political Issue in Daniel Patrick in a commentary Magazine article and later speaking As the representative to the United rejected criticism of the record on civil rights by communist and third world countries who denied their citizens any such to the Delight of guilt Ridden the totalitarian world was put on the Early in candidate Ronald Reagan was searching for issues other than the pan Ama canal to use in his Campaign against fellow Republican Gerry Fords Secre tary of Henry was pursuing detente and preferred quiet diplomacy to outspoken confrontation As the Means to help soviet dissidents or the emigration of in the Reagan clashed with Kissinger Ford on this human rights and that became the basis of differences for in the democratic primaries that Jimmy Carter was also looking for foreign policy differences with taking a Leaf from reagans briefing Carter embraced human rights and rejected Kissin Gerian amorality that appealed to demo cratic Carter added a wrinkle that attracted liberals an attack on he Man rights violations by authoritarian Al at that human rights became a bed in which such disparate souls As Anthony Lewis and i could be liberals concentrated on abuses by righting and conservatives denounced abuses by the totalitarian when Carter became he had developed the Moyniha Reagan theme our commitment to human rights must be but when neither the soviet Union nor the third world paid any Atten Tion to Carter concentrated his absolutism on righting governments in latin America and South by demanding human rights in nations Friendly to us while passively noting Vio lations in unfriendly countries the car termites perverted the original Friendly dictator Somoza was overthrown by Carter and was replaced by a More totalitarian marxist regime unfriendly dictator Qaddafi was supported in Libya and Egypt Sadat was told not to trouble the soviet crackdown on dissenters was human rights was thus in practical it bothered no leftist totalitarian and its righteous Finger wag Ging turned off no communist nations fighting terrorism and now the Reagan ites Are and that disastrous  policy is being th6 question is will we go Back to the quiet diplomacy policy of the mid70s that pushed nowhere for human or will we adopt a  enemies policy that ignores repression and corruption in our allies both of those approaches Are As Barren As the Carter though less harmful to our foreign we should be embarrassing the totalitarians of the left Mer As Max Kampelman has been doing lately in Madrid but we should also be searching for a new and More effective Way to protect human rights in Allied nations under Ernest Lefever has been chosen to Lead the human rights department at a lesser Feils theologian who believes we must provide arms to allies to put Down Lefevers aggressive pragmatism a palls he has writ ten that we Are Best Able to nudge history our Way by being faithful allies to our imperfect friends by persuading them quietly rather than parading their the Lefever nudge deserves a although Secretary of state Haigs com ment on human rights not a deem but a change in priority is Dou Lane Kirkland at the Falcio attests that Haig at nato was unusually sensitive to the promotion of free labor state could learn a lot from the american labor movement about getting a democratic foot in an authoritarian door maybe the human rights Carrot will work better for Reagan than a stick worked for and proud nations like Argentina will respond to subtler inducements to per Mit More press Freedom and Loyal political but the change in priority must never mask a change in goal if Lefevers gentle Elbow should be ignored in Chile or South Africa or South and if unnecessary repression should not be then the United states would lose its moral claim again human rights atrocities on the Reagan must never let that morality has a place in foreign policy he helped put it there and an ally that re fuses to distinguish itself from an enemy deserves to go Down the results count Well see if the Lefever nudge can deliver where the Carter shove c new York times the opinions expressed in the columns and car loons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states