A frequent topic of public discussion and debate among the American people, political scientists, social scientists, and government officials is the role and responsibilities of the government and the inviolable rights of American citizens. What is not so frequently heard in public discourse is talk and debate about the obligations of those citizens. Dr. Richard Haass, former director of policy planning at the US Department of State (2001–2003) and president of the Council on Foreign Relations (2003–2023), has penned a must-read book addressing this seldom debated topic: The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens. It is a quick and easy read, outlining, with uncomplicated examples, ten simple no-nonsense principles of citizen involvement in the running of their country.
The book is presented in two parts. Part 1, “The Crisis of Our Rights-Based Democracy,” consists of two chapters in which the author lays the foundation for the argument he makes in part 2, “The Bill of Obligations.” These obligations are presented as ten basic principles laid out in ten short chapters. He observes that “American democracy has come to focus almost exclusively on perceived rights and is breaking down as a result” (16). His central argument is “that American democracy will endure only if obligations join rights at the core of a widely shared understanding of citizenship” (155).
Haass sets up the substance of the book quite nicely in chapter one, which focuses on citizens’ rights and their limits in the United States. Placed in the context of a “lack of national community,” a consequence of a mosaic collection of several smaller communities rather than a melting pot of the same to form a single whole, demands some sort of driving force to counter the deterioration of our democracy. Hence his Bill of Obligations.
As mentioned above, part 2 of the book gets to the subject of obligations. In discussing the ten obligations the author’s target audience seems to shift back and forth between individual citizens and public servants and officials. I had assumed that the book’s audience is Joe the plumber and Jennifer the nurse, common folk outside of government. The target audience in fact is all citizens, period, regardless of occupation or socioeconomic status. The book’s title doesn’t imply otherwise.
There is no indication that the order in which the obligations are presented implies any priority, but the first one—be informed—seems to belong there. The author states that the obvious reason for being informed is “to be able to wisely cast their votes” (42). He argues that uniformed voters are vulnerable to demagoguery and misleading statements. The adage “be careful what you ask for” warns voters to be informed. Evidence abounds that far too many of us are not well-informed; we tend to be bumper stickers deep on many issues.
Two other obligations that particularly resonated with this reader are “remain civil” and “reject violence,” simplistic but very important. In today’s turbulent political climate, many of our political leaders, influential celebrities, syndicated talk show hosts and spokespersons with major news outlets have cast off and trampled these two principles. The example they set has encouraged the same and worse by average citizens in the streets of too many of our major population centers.
The remaining seven obligations vary in their simplicity; none are complicated, all are important. The author provides illuminating discussion and relevant examples to demonstrate his points. He adds that the obligations he puts forth are voluntary behaviors not subject to enforcement. These obligations cost the individual nothing but a change in attitude yet yield much by way of a stronger democracy.
The first two-and-a-half pages of the conclusion provide a hard-hitting punctuation to the central argument. The remaining pages taper down with thoughts on potential codification of these obligations as well as responsibilities of congressional, corporate and religious leaders. While I think this is an excellent book which should be widely read, it is not without an occasional, subtle, one-sided, partisan snipe that detracts from an otherwise valid, well-articulated work.
In the final analysis this book is a coherent opinion piece in which a compelling argument is made in support of the central theme stated in the second paragraph of this review. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who has a stake or interest in America civil society or any society in which similar freedoms, rights, and privileges afforded to citizens of the United States of America are also applicable.