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2010 - The Challenges to Global Security: Bill CLINTON
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22/12/99
Bill
CLINTON PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
We enter the new millennium at a unique moment for the USA and its allies.
We are at the height of our power and prosperity. The successful end of
the Cold War and ascent of democratic values and market economies has given
us an unparalleled opportunity to shape, with others, a safer, freer, more
prosperous world. We are working to assure that our people gain the full benefits of globalisation. At the same time, globalisation brings with it a new array of dangers. The challenge for our democracies during the first decade of the next millennium is to sustain our successes and defuse new dangers.
There has long been a temptation in many democratic nations to avoid the burdens of engagement beyond their borders, including in my own country. Some seem to feel that our prosperity and peace can be protected without either spending money or effort abroad. But the principal lesson of the last 100 years is that we avoid such engagement at our peril.
As we enter a new century, the dangers have changed. We must prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists, international criminals, or rogue states that may not be deterred by the certainty of retaliation. We must do all we can to weave Russia and China into the global community as stable, open and prosperous states that are embracing the rule of law.
We must promote peace in regions vital to our security, and strengthen the capacity of the international community to prevent - and if necessary to stop - outbreaks of mass killing and displacement that destabilise entire regions. We must support hopeful democratic transitions such as those in Indonesia and Nigeria, and work to ensure that the gains of freedom are not undermined by financial turmoil and chronic poverty. We must also protect vital natural resources that are key to our prosperity.
The USA enters the new millennium prepared to take up the challenge of continued engagement. I have proposed significant funding increases for both national defence and international affairs. Our armed forces are prepared to perform a broad array of military tasks. We have improved readiness for today's missions and increased our investment in the future by spending more on procurement for tomorrow's high technology weapons systems. We are strengthening our home defence to deal with terrorists, cyber-attacks, and missile attacks by rogue states.
There may be times when any country will be compelled to act alone to protect vital interests, but it is in our interest to act in co-operation with others who share our goals. There could be no better illustration of collective action and unified will than NATO's concerted action in Kosovo.
In the 21st century we must deepen our transatlantic partnership to sustain this co-operation. A strengthened European Security and Defense Identity is central to this vision, as is the success of NATO's initiative to enhance Europe's defence capabilities. NATO's April summit commitment to this defence initiative was a crucial first step, and now we must follow through with force planning and resources.
The world must adjust to the new realities of the 21st century. The only way to provide security for our people in the decade ahead is to exercise leadership together for the interests and values we share.
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Bill CLINTON
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2010
- The Challenges To Global Security | Foreword:
Cliff Beal | King
Abdullah II | Kofi
Annan | Ehud Barak
| Tony Blair | Jacques
Chirac | Bill
Clinton | Sadako
Ogato | James
Orbinski | Romano
Prodi | Lord
Robertson Of Port Ellen | Mary
Robinson | Javier
Solana | Cornelio
Sommaruga | James
Wolfensohn | Postscript:
Edward N. Luttwak | Postscript:
Lawrence Freedman