abstract:Peter Tarnoff (born April 19, 1937) served as the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs during the first Clinton term, from 1993 to 1997. In May 1997, United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented him the Department of State's highest award, the Distinguished Service Award for extraordinary service in advancing American interests through creative and effective diplomacy.
Last week, the Clinton Administration became embroiled in controversy over its world view: Does the Administration believe, as Under Secretary of State PeterTarnoff stated "on background" in a 25 May meeting with reporters, that the United States can no longer afford to exercise global power and therefore will generally decline to do so?