‘A big, historic transition’

International | Condoleezza Rice discusses Iraq, North Korea, and others on the mushrooming list of world trouble spots | Cal Thomas

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her office recently expounded on the world and its trouble spots like the professor she once was and desires to be again. I began with a general question. Why does she think there are so many trouble spots simultaneously challenging the United States? In addition to Iraq and Iran, there are North Korea, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, where it appears Daniel Ortega may be returned to power in the Nov. 5 election.

Rice said, "We're at the beginning of a big historic transition. When I was here the last time working for President George H.W. Bush, we were at the end of 50 years of containing the Soviet threat and ultimately defeating it. And so we got to harvest the end of that. . . . This time we're at the beginning of a new, big historic transition where we're trying to lay the foundation for the ultimate victory of democracy and triumph against the ideology of hatred and the defeat of terrorism and the rogue states."