When election time rolls around this November, more than the presidency of the United States will be at stake. Last night, two foreign officials articulated their vision of the role the United States’ next president will play in global affairs.

“I would like to see a president who looks at the world with a mutual respect,” said Alejandro Toledo Ph.D. ‘93, the former president of Peru from 2001-2006 who currently serves as the Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford. “A president that respects small countries and big countries.”

Toledo, who was the first democratically elected President of Peru of indigenous descent, grew up in an impoverished family of 16 children. Before obtaining a scholarship to study in the United States, Toledo earned money shining shoes.

Speaking from his firsthand experience of poverty, Toledo urged the next president to be especially proactive in helping the world’s poor.

“I would like to see a president that does not just put his attention to one part of the world,” Toledo said. “I would like to see a president who can anticipate emergencies in all parts of the world.”

Kantathi Suphamongkhon, who served as Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs until 2006, expressed his admiration of the United States as a child, saying that he once thought of the U.S. as a “role model for other countries.”

Suphamongkhon said that America needs to regain its moral authority in the world. He stressed the need for the new president to understand the nuances of globalization.

“The world is not black and white,” he remarked. “The world is full of colors and shades.”

Both dignitaries talked about their experiences in working with other countries to arrive at multilateral solutions for world problems.

“I would like to see a president from the United States who promotes democracy in a concrete sense, beyond the political speech,” Toledo said. “Not just a political democracy but a democracy that provides clean water, quality of health care, quality of education, rural electricity.”

Suphamongkhon stressed the need for a human element in international relations.

“I have always been allergic to statements like ‘You are with us or you are against us,’” Suphamongkhon said. “I would strongly urge that the new president never use such statements.”

The event was predominantly attended by community members, although some students were in attendance.

“I really appreciate when Stanford brings foreign scholars to the university,” said Eric Boromisa ‘08. “It complements the perspective of the faculty very well.”