拜登对习近平问他美国外交中为什么如此强调人权问题时,向习解释说,"No president of the United States could represent the United States were he not committed to human rights," "President Barack Obama would not be able to stay in power if he did not speak of it. So look at it as a political imperative. It doesn't make us better or worse. It's who we are. You make your decisions. We'll make ours." (没有美国总统如果不坚持人权而能代表美国的。奥巴马如果不谈人权就不能在位。因此我们只能将坚持人权看作是政治责任。坚持人权并不因此使我们比别人更好或更坏,它不过使我们成为美国人。你做你的决定,我们做我们的决定。)
外交是国际事务,国家间没有统一的政府来通过执法强迫大家按规矩办事,所以要有外交手段等,但外交手段与一国的外交所基于的国家利益是两回事,不能混淆了。外交家是个人,外交家将国家的外交等同于个人的事情的话,必然会发生背离国家利益的事情,基辛格就是一个例子。有兴趣的读者不妨将《审判基辛格》(The Trial of Henry Kissinger)找来看看。(顺便提一句,该书的作者也是批判柯林顿与希拉里的高手。)