Following his speech on moral leadership last fall, a capacity crowd of more than 350 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics gave a standing ovation to Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica.

At times critical of the United States government and its international agenda, Arias struck a nerve with some and hit home with others. Whatever their political persuasion, however, the crowd was impressed by the Nobel Laureate's ideas and his candid delivery.

In a rallying cry similar to an inspirational commencement address, Arias urged students to be moral leaders by having the courage to define their values, to live up to them every day and to admit when they fail. He also expressed his belief that although the United States has defined admirable values, the nation has not, in some circumstances, lived up to four core values: responsibility, freedom, democracy and prosperity.

In a one-on-one interview with Portraits prior to his public address, Arias was consistent in his message. He pointed to the nation's lack of responsibility toward "the outrageous amount of environmental destruction and, in particular, carbon gas emissions that emanate from factories and power plants." Arias suggested that the U.S. take responsibility for its role in the devastating effects on the global environment by enacting new policy.

Arias indicated that the U.S. has fallen short on its promise of freedom abroad. "Once we begin speaking of people living outside the borders of the U.S., the ideal of freedom seems to change...When your country's interests clash with others' right to freedom, usually freedom loses," he said.

Arias pointed to how the U.S. Navy's bombing range, which covers one third of the territory of the small island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, has resulted in "overwhelming environmental distress, high rates of cancer, and heart problems for residents...and even accidental deaths of civilians."

As one of the oldest democracies in the world, Arias praised the United States for being a global model for others and for its potential to effect change beyond its borders.

He told students that they "are well equipped to be leaders in the drive to build a more just and peaceful world." He encouraged them to live up to and take responsibility for the values that they define and to become active moral leaders. "In the areas where your government is failing, you are the helpers," he said. "You are the ones with the duty and the privilege of getting this great country back on track."