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ADDRESS BY l-flLLARY RODHAM CLINTON
THE FIRST LAdy OF THE UNITED STATES
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TIlE UNIYERSITY OF ZURICH
JA~ruARY 31, 1998
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Thank you very much. President Cotti; ,Governor Busehor; Rector Schmid; and
Ambassador,Kunin, my friend. I run very, grateful to be here on this occasion and 1 wish to thank
the sponsors of this event, the SwissAmirican Chamber of Commerce and the S\vlss National
Council Women's Organi7l!tion.f have l~ng wanted to spend time in your country. I've only
had t.he OPpOrtuility hefore today for a.vefY short visit to Geneva. And Ileel after today-
looking fhrward to the rest of my stay-- that 1 have been given the appetizer but not permitted to
eat the meal, so I'm looking forward to r~turning as soon as I possibly can, to see more of
Switzerland.
It's a particular honor to be here ~tthe University of Zurich, a jewel in the crO"wn of
Switzerland's -institutions of higher learning. and home to many of your country)s leading
tcachers and inteHeduals--induding a N&bel Prize-winner. And I was pleased to learn in doing
my research for this visit that the first w6man in the German speaking world graduated from this
university--in 1867.
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Universities such as this one are the real incubators of the democratic vallIes that we share
together. They are the practice field.. fo~ responsibilities and opportunities that come with living
in a li-ee society. \Vhen we walk throug~ the doors of great universities, sllch as this one, we are
reminded of how important ft'ee speech and free thought are. A.nd we see these places as
collective meeting points for .men and wbroen of different backgrounds, interests, opinions, and
3spiratiofl!::. It is our universities, here it) Switzerland, and in my country, and around the glohe,
where many of os tirst learn to strike a balance benveen the tights and needs of individuals, and
those of the larger commllllity.
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That will become an even inore important task in the years ahead., because striking the
balance between the individual needs arid community needs will be one orthe challenges of the
nc>..'1 eentury and we wil) need morethah ever to lift up and cherish those institutions of
democracy that teach all of us how to li~e together--our schools, our places of worship, om
commmuty associations, as well as our:daily actions as citizens--hold us together as diverse
people, <lOci strengthen Ollr cffi~rtR to wc{rk toward the common good. 1t i!': t.he~e ~hared values,
and this commitment to a vibrant civil ~ociety,that will be our bulwark in the ne\v millennium,
because we face so many changes aro,*d our globe.
And as two of the world's olde~t democracies, Switzerland and the Ullited States, bare a
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special responsibility to help lead the Way into this new time. We understand well the challenges
of buj)ding a dcmocratic nation, and the struggles we face in perfecting ou:r democratic ideals. In
. fact, Vle have stood together as "Sister~epub1ics" since our earliest moments as democratic
nations, and we have learned valuable lessons from each other. We know, for example, tImt
Thomas Jefferson greatly admired Swi:sg authors, whosc writings on the theory of natu.ral law,
and the inalienable rights 6f individual,S are thought to have inspired Jefferson as he was ''''Titing
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the Declaration of Independence.
And then in 1848--when ,SwitzerJahd was establishing its modem federal state and
drafting its Constitution--you looked to oi.1.r Constitution, and its system of checks and balances.
And I want to take this opportunity to conigratulate you on the historic occasion of the 150th
anniversary of the S\viss Constitution. It is these traditions and how we have mutually reinforced
one alloth~r, learned from each other, hel~ed toJead the way to democracy, that we in'ust again
tum to in these lim~s.
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I saw in action yOUT longstanding bommitment to democracy, when I visite.d the
Children's Parliament in Luzem, There I: saw some of your youngest citizens--boys and girls
between the ages of eight and fourteen~-bl~ing given real responsibility. They were allotted
money from the city council whieh they then had to debate and decide how to use on behalf of
the childl'en of their city. It was an extra~rdinary experience, because I watched these children
standing and talking with great poise and! clarity about whether or not to go fbrward on a project
to build a playground. Well one might ~ink that that's a rather trivial subject, bllt I saw the
teaching of democracy in action-I was vfry impressed. And I also came away even more
convinced that we have to do a better joq in my ovv1:1 country in instilling in our children a re8pect
for democratic values and teaching the nrxt generation the skills they will need, n()tjlL~t to he
leaders, but more importantly, citizens. I commend the people ofLuzem for this imlovative
project. But Talso believe that we must ~ll do more to pass on the values that we have inherited.
We share this strong bond, but w~ always stand in danger of seeing it frayed between our
governments and OUT people if we are n~t vigilant There arc so many challenges, especially to
young people today, such a need for instant gratification in the media driven world in which they
live. So many other role models that th€) adults around them who are teaching them and
p<1renting them Md caring for them, that the challenge of teaching the values of democracy has
grown even more difficult,
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Our 1:\vo countries share other bdndsas well. S\vitzerland has been a strong trade and
investment partner, and as many as 200,000 American jobs have been created as a result of Swiss
invesbnent in the United States, and I tl~ank you for that. We-also shar~ a deep love of music and
thE: arts, and have a tong history of cult\¥al exchange--from a play about William Tell that was
performed in New York City in 1796--t~ the recent visit of the Zorich Symphony to Washington
D.C.
Our two nations are also commi'tted to common efforts in confronting threats to
international peace and stabi1ity~ whichiinclude joint measures to combilt money laundering and
organized crime, and cooperation in pr~venting the spread of weapons ofrnass destruction.
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\\t11ile our two countries are hem up as n1.odels of pluralistic democracies, people often
forget how long it took to shape these4emocratic institutions. In our own country, we moe
struggling with some of the unfinished!business of our democracy. We are working very hru:d to
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make sure that we truly are a united peoplb. taking advantage of the many diverse hackgrounds,
races, ethnic groups and religions that poI~ulate America. We are also trying to tace squarely the
ongoing inequality and discrimination tha~ continues' as a consequence of America's history of
slavery and racial division.
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My husband's Initiative on Race ~eeks to educate all of our citizens about the reaJjtjes of
race in L~lerica today, 10 encourage consin;ctive dialogue to work through these issl1~s, ~d to
deyelo~ sol~tions .. There are some in our! co~n~:ry who say w~ shoul~ ~10~ ra!se tl~is. i~suc--wc
should Just Ignore It, we should pretend tJ!!at It IS t.aken care of , that It IS Iniact dIVISIve to try to
talk about how we can live together. and that race will never be solved, so why confront it. My
Im~hanrl's opinion, which he holds very ~rongly, is that we always have to tace our history, \\'c
have to Dace the truth of who we are in orfier for us to move beyond, and 1 hope that in my
country the Pre5lident's Initiative will sucp;ed in encouraging dialogue among people across the
lines dmt too often divide us.
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1 look also to Switzerland becausb I know you share a commitment to maintaining
balatice and cohesion in a multi-cultural kociety. Your system of cantons drawn together in a
united tederation, reflects the common a4!p iration of our two countries: out of man)', Ol1e~
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Issues of tolerance and eqmtl opphmmity are' some of the toughest challenge:r.: we face.
But we are not alone in doing so. Acros~ the globe, fr~mBosnia to South Africa, we are
witnessing similar efforts to confront the~ pains and divisions in societies. We are looking to see
how tnlth and reconciliation in South A.f:riea can overcome the hatred and divisiveness of the
been created in Bosnia by armed force will1ead
past. ,We are hoping that the peace that
eventually to the peace that should be bei~ween people without force.
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Tilese are the same pursuit.'i drivipg S\\ritzeTland to take an hcmest·l{}ok at it.'} own history,
and to address the issues thatarosc duritig World War It and the tcrrible events .of the H<'llocaust.
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The Ambassador mentioned the group of students \vho are here from the Neufeld Gymnasium in
Bem, who have worked together to raisd money to aid survivors of the Holocaust, and I will
meet with them later today. They are inHividual student.c; detennined to make a difference, young
people who embody the finest spirit of Humanitarian assistance. They also reflect the etTorts that
the Swiss govemment, <'IS well as the pri~ate sector here, are taking to seek answers to the past,
and to assist the survivors of the Holocaust.
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Switzerland is to be applauded'ftr its \.viIlingness to face these issues. You have taken
majors strides to, uncover the truth and frYe the cause ofjustice, thrOUg~l historical commissions,
through mechamsms to return donnant accounts, and through the establishment-of funds that ate
already helping needy holocaust victjm~~-many of whom are the double victims, first, ofthe
Holocaust and then of communist repre~sion in central and Eastern Europe.
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These are, I know, difficult ste~s, and you have faced them courageously, Today, I want
to encourage you to stay on the constructive . . you have chosen. Vie all have much to do to
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hring this tragic chapter of European histbryto ajust end. And we o\ve it to the victims. not only
of the Holocau.<;t, but we also owe it to o~rselves, to complete thal task. The spotlight of history,
whether it is on race and slavery in the Uhited States, or Apartheid in South Africa, or the
Ilolocaust here in .Europe. can be harsh. l~ut it is only through facing that history that we can
strengthen ow' commitment to democratib ideals and to keep working together to fulfill those
ideals.
And we shall learn. the lessons oflthe past, because we ignore them at our periL At the
beginning Oftllis century, there were ma1~y who believed that democracy would tlourish, that
there was no stopping the progress that h~d taken hold in so many parts of the world with the
industrial revolution. And as we are abopt to close out this century, we know} sadly, that the
promi:e tI,lat was loo~ed to by many was;not met, ~ut that instead, ~'le have one of the bloodiest
centtmes 11l human hlstory. But now as ~ve start thIS next century~ how much more have we
learned, how much more can we do together, if we are honest and committed to meeting the
challenges of the future.
As more cOWltries embrace dem~cracy and free markets, we scc that they '\lill too be
challenged. How will they be able to adjust to the rapid pace of change, global competitioll; and
(he information rcvoJutiofl, all which 3l'ejcl'eating new pressures on every institution in society.
Many of these new democracies tbrmed recently with the collapse of communism, are looking
to the experienced democracies, like the IUnited States and Switzerland. They ,vant to k.now how
they can Jive peacetully together, how they can transter power, how they can have a system of
checks and balances; and in many ways ~ountries like ours bear an enOffilOUS responsibility
because of the example we set and the h?re that we give to so many.
Because today the greatest threatito democracy is no longer a communist monolith with
imperial designs, but the volatile economic, political and social conditions that have emerged in
the aftermath of the cold war. And OUT rhost powerful tool to ensure bui::mce in these volatile
times will not necessarily Ix: our milit3r); might, or our t1nancial might, but instead it will be our
commitment to democratic values~ and our willingness to invest in strong and vibrant civil
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SOcletles .
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look around. the glohe, there:is such a superficial homogcni{'ation, p(,~ople on every
continent wear the same jeans, eat the s~e fast food. listen to the same lllusic, but these. surface
similariticsdo not. override a longing to~ identity and Ineaning in OUl' lives. Despite improving
material conditions in advanced economies such as ours, families seem tmder even greater stress.
In my country, the gap between ihe richland the poor grows wider. TIle soci.\I s.:t1ety net of
health care, education, pensions, decent wages and good jobs, is in danger of fraying for those
less educated, less able to navigate this new world.
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In too many places, women are 4enied their rightful place as full participants in the life of
their societies. We know that a nation's progress depends on the progress of its women. I'm
pleased that my country and yours worked closely together in preparing for the Foutth World
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�Conference on Women held in Beijing. We shared the same positions on important issues,
including women's rights, violence agai~st '.vomen; women in armed conflict; and the health of
women and girls. And I kn<?w that both Of our countries will continue to work to ensure the
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fullness of equal rights for women aroun~ the world.
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It is issues such as these, of social and economic inequality and discIimination, that pose
unavoidable questions for us as We appr~ach the 21 sf. century:
Questions about how to balance individual and community rights and responsibilities;
about how families will raise children in Ithe face ofpressures from the mass media and the
consumer culture; about personal identity and work in an agc of globalization, and information
and high teclUlology; about the role ofht~w people ",,;H be able to preserve their ethnic pride and
value their national citizenship; how natibns will protect their sovereignty while cooperating
regionally and globally with others~ abol1t how or whether multinational corporation!': will he
regulated v"ithin and across borders; ho,~r governments will combat threats from international .
cartels, terrorists, and rogue states. These arc iust some of the ne',' questions for democracies
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such as ours.
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As my husband oftcn says, our challenge as democratic nations is to balance the
cnmpeting and often contradictory press~lfeS of global integration and global disintegration.
There is in the U~ited States and :across Europe a serious debate underway about how to
sustain economic growth without tearing apart the social fabric of our commtmities. In the
United States, we believe that we have tb keep all three of our primary institutions in tact, what I
call the three legs of the society stool: a free market economy, our democratic government, and a
strong and vibrant civil society. But building these three are far more difficult today in many
respects. 'What does it mean to have a t~ee market in a time of global capitalization, .'."hat does
that mean to labor, what does that mean ito the social structure of countries, wl1at does that mean
to the individual. Governments are under pressure because of the rising expectations of Wh~it
they are to do, but in many respects, the ;decreasing c.apacity to perfonn. And prohahly the mo~
important factor, the one that created oUf democracy and yours is neither the free market nor the
government, but the civil society, how p;eople organize themselves, what they believe, what
values they pass on to their children.
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Because we know that building ind sustaining democracy is more than just allowing free
elections. or creating free markets. or e~en protecting people's rights. Ifs also about the
il1temalization of democratic values in people's hearts, minds, and everyday lives. It's about
developing an "alliance of values" based on a shared belief in freedom; opportunity.
respunsibility, cummunity, anu respect for human rights.
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Over 50 years ago, Winston Chtirchill spoke in this room, at ti,js uni.versity. He urged the
re-creation of the European family, afte} the horrors of the war. He called for "an enlarged
patriotism and common citizenship," va;lues that arc no less important today .
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�In many ways, Switzerland has aliways recognized the importance of such a broadened
"all1ao.cc ofvaJues," through your commjtment to providing humanit'lrian. support arOlUld the
world. I thank this nation leI' your generous contributions in assisting developing cOlUltl'ies,
intemational institutions, and non goverrlmental organizations (NOOs), From helping to
eliminate toxic waste in Hlmgary; to improving milk production in Poland; to reducing pollution
in Slovakia; to assisting the world's eartl~quake victims, to the legendary work of the
intemational Red Gross, S,viss foreign aAdhumanitarian aid continues to help countries meet the
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. difficult challenges of tomorrow.
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Many countries have also benetit¢d from Switzerland's commitment to lend your "'good
otlices" to help mediate contlictsandestablish international norms.
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Individuals, NGOs, and governm:ents working together can make a ditTerence. When I
speak at Davos T want to remind the .A.mericans in my audience how important. it is that the
United States remain engaged in just sudh work around the world. '111at we continue t6 support
inten:ational institutions, humanitarian a,id, development assistance, it is only through that kind
of outreach that we ",.ill be able to set tM example and pr.ovide thc help that so many ofthe new
democracies require.
'Ale know there are no casy answbrs to the challenges we face. We have to work
everyday, day in and day out, year after ~ear. to make democracy work. I've had the privilege to
speak in some of the new democracies iA central Asia and central and Eastern Europe, and I had
told them how long it took tor us and it'k still taking us in the United States to perfect om union.
We entered into democracy not only de~ying women the vote, but also taking our Black slaves
and saying they were not even human. We fought a civil war to end slavery, we gave women the
vote finally in 1920, we had to have a civil Rights Movement in the 1960's, all which were
efforts to live up to our stated aspiration~ and ideals. But we were given the time to do that The
pressures of the global media agc and ri¥ng expectations did not press in on us as they do toilily
on so many of these new democracies. ~verything is at such a pressure point when you have so
rnany competing interests as there arc ru;ound the globe today. That is why it is more imp0l1ant
than ever Ulat countries such as ours re~ain engage.d fully and ofter to the new democracies, and
to the people within our O~11 bordel's, the help and support they need to become full active
citizens in tile world.
As I participate in the discussio~s in Davos, I "viII be thinking particularly about how to
ensure a better future tor our young people, for the bright yqung boys and girls I sa"v this
morning in LuzeITL, for Some of the students I saw on the outside and I look at here in this
audience here at this university~ and forlmy own countries children; and I "'rill be hoping that the
leaders of democracies, not only goveniment officials, but business leaders and academic leaders,
all citizens of our h'vo democracies wiUlunderstand how important it is that we do even more
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today to rtmlize Winston Churchill's hopes of 52 years ago .
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\Vehave the tools to create that ~1liance of values, that expanded citizenship, that dream
of democracy and freedom that inspired: our two countries so many years ago. And I don't think
we have much time to waste in doing sq. 'Ve will have to rethink how "ve structure so many of
ou"!" o\\'n lnstitutions, and then how we lead in the world and demonstrate the eilectiveness of
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democracy in the face of 80 many othet;dift'iculties. But knowing something about my history,
and avery little bit about yours; I'm cot1fident that the example of om nvo countries, the work
- we h.wc done together, the leadership vJe have gi ven, and the willingness to face some hard
questions about who we are as peoples, ~vi1l serve as an enduring example to our own people,
and to people around the globe, that de~ocracy is worth investing in, \\forth taking risks for, and
- worth having for ourselves and our children as the best possible way of moving into the future
with c-onfidence and hope.
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Thank you for being that exanlp~e for so many years. Thank you for being such a friend
and partner of the United States, and thapk you for what I know you \:vill do in the future. ll1ru:u<
you very much.
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Dublin Core
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Lissa Muscatine - Press Office
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First Lady's Office
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Lissa Muscatine
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1993 - 1997
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<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36239" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
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2011-0415-S
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<p>Lissa Muscatine first served in the Clinton Administration as a speechwriter. Within the First Lady’s Office, she served as Communications Director to the First Lady.</p>
<p>Lissa Muscatine’s records consist of materials from First Lady Hillary Clinton’s Press Office, highlighting topics such as health care, women’s rights, the Millennium Council, Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign, and deal extensively with press interviews given by the First Lady; her domestic and foreign travel; and speeches and remarks, on a wide variety of topics, given by her before and during her time as First Lady. The records include interview transcripts, press releases, speeches and speech transcripts.</p>
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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1,324 folders in 27 boxes
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FLOTUS Statements and Speeches 1/31/98 - 6/15/98 [Binder]: [Univ of Zurich 1/31/98]
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<a href="http://clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/Systematic/2011-0415-S-Muscatine.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431941" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
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2011-0415-S
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7431941