{"id":55092,"date":"2022-12-06T14:07:25","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T22:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=55092"},"modified":"2022-12-06T17:08:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T01:08:00","slug":"deputy-secretary-of-state-wendy-sherman-luiss-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=55092","title":{"rendered":"Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman LUISS University"},"content":{"rendered":"
12\/06\/2022 03:58 PM EST<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Wendy R. Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State<\/p>\n

Rome, Italy<\/p>\n

DepSec Sherman:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Buona Sera<\/em>. What a wonderful day and a wonderful way to end my first day in Rome \u2014 with young people who will shape Italy\u2019s future and the future of the U.S.-Italy relationship, and shape the world.<\/p>\n

Thank you, Marta, for that lovely introduction.\u00a0 Allow me to thank all the members of our youth council, as well as the Director, Professor Marchetti and our hosts at LUISS University.\u00a0 It is truly an honor to be here with you all.<\/p>\n

As Marta just mentioned, before becoming Deputy Secretary of State, I was a\u00a0professoressa<\/em>\u00a0at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Boston, in Cambridge actually.\u00a0 I loved every minute of it, and anytime I visit a college campus anywhere in the world, I immediately fall back a little bit into teacher mode.<\/p>\n

Not to worry, I\u2019m not assigning homework.\u00a0 I simply ask you to start thinking of some questions now or comments that you want to make.\u00a0 I want to hear what you have to say and get a sense of how you see our countries\u2019 critical partnership.<\/p>\n

We are firmly focused on your future.\u00a0 But no one, no one can visit Rome without thinking of this city\u2019s and the world\u2019s storied past.\u00a0 There\u2019s history literally around every corner.\u00a0 Iconic monuments like the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the ruins of the Roman Forum.<\/p>\n

There are tributes to Italy\u2019s more recent leadership like the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the legendary cuisine exported worldwide along with tributes to Italy\u2019s leadership in science, technology, and innovation.<\/p>\n

Whether you are a student here at LUISS or elsewhere in the city, you get to explore what this all means.\u00a0 How Rome\u2019s and Italy\u2019s history relates to your present.\u00a0 How we might connect the long and winding road from ancient times to your courses in politics, finance, management, law, language, and more.<\/p>\n

Amidst those studies, you\u2019ll probably discover something else about history \u2014 how swiftly it can change course.\u00a0 How major events and geopolitical shifts can alter the way we see ourselves and our leaders.\u00a0 How we can rarely take comfort in knowing what was, because we must stay prepared for what might be.<\/p>\n

LUISS is an institution that appreciates this to its core.\u00a0 This is a university built to cultivate creative minds.\u00a0 That\u2019s all of you.\u00a0 Entrepreneurs, policymakers, IT professionals and more.\u00a0\u00a0 This is home to the Italian Digital Media Observatory, a key hub for Europe\u2019s efforts to combat and counter disinformation, one of the most pressing issues of our time.<\/p>\n

This is a place where you understand clearly that history has brought us to another inflection point as Russia\u2019s aggression destroys Ukrainian lives; assaults Ukraine\u2019s security; threatens Europe\u2019s and the world\u2019s stability; yet sees our nations answering this moment in history with strength, with determination, with an unwavering commitment to our common ideals \u2014 the defense of democracy, sovereignty, freedom, and diplomacy.<\/p>\n

That must not change, and I believe it will not change.\u00a0 This chapter of history is simply too important.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be clear.\u00a0 Since Vladimir Putin made the decision to launch a premeditated, unprovoked invasion, Russia has failed to achieve its original objectives.\u00a0 Russian troops failed to take Kyiv.\u00a0 They have faltered in the east and south.\u00a0 Far from fracturing the NATO alliance, Putin has achieved the complete opposite \u2013- NATO is more unified than ever.<\/p>\n

This is, first and foremost, a tribute to the stunning bravery and extraordinary sacrifice of the Ukrainian people.\u00a0 History will long mark the courage they have demonstrated in defense of the country they cherish.<\/p>\n

Together, the United States, Italy, our European Union partners,\u00a0 and partners all over the world like the UK, Japan, Australia, and more, are not allowing Russia\u2019s aggression to stand unanswered.\u00a0 To the contrary, we are doing what we can, collectively, to enable Ukraine to defend itself and defy expectations.<\/p>\n

But now, what Putin has not been able to win on a battlefield, he is trying to secure by freezing people in their homes and terrorizing them from the sky.\u00a0 So an urgent question presents itself: as Ukraine and Europe stare into a long, dark, frigid winter, will our unified front hold?<\/p>\n

I think the answer is a resounding yes.\u00a0 Not only for those of us in the United States and Italy and Europe, but for all of those who support international law.<\/p>\n

How we meet this charge is the hard part.\u00a0 We have done so all year and we must continue to do so if we want to hand the reins of a free, secure, prosperous, and democratic planet over to you and your generation.<\/p>\n

In my view, the backbone of our shared approach comes down to three pillars.<\/p>\n

First, security.\u00a0 For Ukraine, but also for this continent and the world.\u00a0 We have to keep helping Ukraine protect its citizens against direct threats to their sovereignty.<\/p>\n

I know many face hardships due to Putin\u2019s barbarism, none more so of course than the people of Ukraine.\u00a0 The soldiers risking their lives to defend their cities; the millions forced to leave their homes; the children separated from their families, losing a parent, unsure what might happen to their loved ones on the front lines.<\/p>\n

There are the mothers in Russia who have to welcome sons home in body bags \u2014 all of them sent off to fight and die in a totally unnecessary war.<\/p>\n

No one can fathom the devastating impacts of this war felt and faced by those at its center.\u00a0 The secondary effects endured here in Italy, across Europe, and beyond are not matters of life and death in the same vein.\u00a0 But they are issues touching our daily lives and livelihoods with energy prices rising, food prices increasing, the cost of living climbing.\u00a0 These changes put pressure on our pocketbooks and on our societies, and as a result there are voices here and elsewhere who wish this conflict would come to a swift close, right now.<\/p>\n

Of course we want the violence to end.\u00a0 We all do\u00a0 But make no mistake.\u00a0 The fastest route to peace is for the person who started this unprovoked war to end it.\u00a0 Simply put, Russia must remove all troops from the sovereign territory of Ukraine.\u00a0 Period.<\/p>\n

Standing together, we will not give up on Ukraine\u2019s security, freedom, and independence.\u00a0 Far from it.\u00a0 The United States and Italy are providing military equipment, implementing targeted sanctions against Russian officials, freezing assets of Russian oligarchs, contributing to NATO\u2019s deterrence measures, and seeking ways to reduce European dependence on Russia\u2019s energy supplies.<\/p>\n

Thanks in part to our actions, Ukrainian forces continue to defy the odds in this war.\u00a0 But the security risks are not limited to conflicts on the battlefield.\u00a0 Russia\u2019s losses have led them to turn their missiles toward Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving millions without light or heat just as temperatures have plunged.<\/p>\n

Putin is, in effect, trying to weaponize winter in Ukraine and use energy resources as a cudgel across this continent.\u00a0 But officials throughout Europe, including Prime Minister Meloni, are courageously holding firm in this trying time.\u00a0 We, in the United States, will continue to stand with you to meet the unprecedented challenges ahead.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s inhumane actions also jumpstarted a mass movement of people out of Ukraine and out of the line of fire.\u00a0 On this front, Italy has stepped up again, hosting nearly 175,000 Ukrainian refugees and providing them with shelter, safety, and care.\u00a0 That is what compassionate, responsible nations must do.<\/p>\n

This whole experience has reinforced the importance of our alliances and partnerships -\u2013 of NATO, of the European Union, of the G7 \u2013- all of them a significant reason for Russia\u2019s failures.<\/p>\n

That speaks to our second pillar: unity.\u00a0 We live in an interconnected world, so all of us must keep working hand-in-hand to protect our safety.<\/p>\n

The United States and Italy have a firm foundation for our unity in the form of our bilateral relationship, our respect for human rights, our steps to combat climate change, and our focus on forging a sustainable economic future.\u00a0 Our strong defense alliance fortifies stability worldwide, and our ties of trade and investment promote growth in both our nations.<\/p>\n

Our two-way partnership is also a cornerstone of the broader transatlantic alliance that is defending Europe against Russia\u2019s aggression.\u00a0 One that has stood tall for the rule of law and global norms for generations.<\/p>\n

In the case of Italy and the United States, our bonds of leadership extend to our role as members of the G7.\u00a0 Just seven nations.\u00a0 Italy and the United States are two of those seven.\u00a0 Where we are helping shape a fair economy that benefits each of us.<\/p>\n

Part of what unites us is the final pillar: principle.<\/p>\n

No one has the right to change another country\u2019s borders by force or dictate that nation\u2019s future or set the terms of its policies.\u00a0 Yet that\u2019s precisely what Putin is trying to achieve.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian people have a very different view.\u00a0 So do we.<\/p>\n

Protecting Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity, defending human rights, promoting democratic governance, opening up civic space, countering corruption \u2013- these values, these principles are shared by the U.S., Italy, and so many friends across Europe and beyond.<\/p>\n

These ideals are under direct assault in Ukraine right now by Russian propaganda, Russian cyberattacks, Russia\u2019s targeting of the power grid, and Russia\u2019s barbaric assault on innocent civilians.<\/p>\n

As democracies, our countries must remain steadfast in withstanding this onslaught and helping Ukrainians defend their values and our values, our own values.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve done is succeeding, and we have to stay the course with all our strength and all our unity, with our principles as our guide.<\/p>\n

That is what history demands of us.\u00a0 Because we know that Russia\u2019s horrific acts, left unchecked, leave the door open for others to think they can follow suit, they can do the same.\u00a0 History teaches us something else as well -\u2013 that what happens next isn\u2019t pre-ordained.\u00a0 It is determined and defined by the willingness of every generation to seize the moment before them.<\/p>\n

Today, history presents itself again for us to shape as leaders or accept as bystanders.\u00a0 The decision rests in your hands as much as ours.\u00a0 The world is listening closely to what Italy, its leaders and its youth have to say.<\/p>\n

The stories of this era, the ones future students will read and study and learn from, will soon fall to you.\u00a0 The lessons of how we stood fast against Russia, how we stood firm for Ukraine, how we stood strong and together for the cause of democracy.\u00a0 These will be taught in your classrooms long after you graduate.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s make sure the result is a better, safer, more prosperous future for you, for Ukraine, for everyone.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

12\/06\/2022 03:58 PM EST   Wendy...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55092"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55093,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55092\/revisions\/55093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}