Americas Quarterly - Spring 2009

Trust people’s
capacity to
understand
complex situations,
to be creative
and experiment
with innovative
solutions.

EFE/Iv·n Franco

6Lead the way In today’s world, political leadership is never gained once and for all. It must be constantly nurtured and renewed. It is no longer possible for a leader to impose without negotiating, to decide without listening, to govern without explaining and persuading. Votes in an election, even dozens of millions of them, are not enough. The day after an electoral victory, one has to start almost from scratch. Leaders either inspire and mobilize around a vision of the future or they lose power. The responsibility of a democratic leader is to grasp the challenges, break new ground and show the way forward. Communication by the leadership is essential to ensure support. Even though taking into account, as Machiavelli pointed out, that those who are bound

FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO was president of Brazil from 1995 to 2003.

to lose from a change of policy will react much more quickly and strongly than those that benefit from it.

7Rely on new actors All of the major critical global issues facing us today—from the economic crisis and global warming to fighting terrorism, organized crime, nuclear proliferation, epidemics and absolute poverty—cut across frontiers and are beyond the capacity of any one state.

All of these challenges can only be met through collaboration and innovation on a massive scale. These threats affect people’s lives everywhere and must be dealt with by states and a plurality of non-state actors: NGOs, local authorities, the private sector, scientists, spiritual leaders, media, and public opinion.