Just wanted to give a heads up about a new Foreign Affairs article, "Security and Opportunity for the Twenty-first Century" written by HRC, that was released today.
I believe that all the major candidates are writing an essay for the magazine. John McCain and HRC are featured in the November/December edition.
Hillary Clinton writes a comprehensive piece that outlines her foreign policy vision, principles that she would like her administration to follow as well as how to deal with the challenges presented by certain hotspots of the world. Here's how she describes the challenges that the next president must face:
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We must face up to an unprecedented array of challenges in the twenty-first century, threats from states, nonstate actors, and nature itself. The next president will be the first to inherit two wars, a long-term campaign against global terrorist networks, and growing tension with Iran as it seeks to acquire nuclear weapons. The United States will face a resurgent Russia whose future orientation is uncertain and a rapidly growing China that must be integrated into the international system. Moreover, the next administration will have to confront an unpredictable and dangerous situation in the Middle East that threatens Israel and could potentially bring down the global economy by disrupting oil supplies. Finally, the next president will have to address the looming long-term threats of climate change and a new wave of global health epidemics.
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Page 1
She argues that in order to meet these challenges, the next president must adhere to certain principles in order to gain the respect of the world. These principles include the following:
1. Avoid the false choices presented by the Bush admin's ideology, ie multilateralism vs unilateralism. Instead, she believes that the next president should be guided by:
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U.S. foreign policy must be guided by a preference for multilateralism, with unilateralism as an option when absolutely necessary to protect our security or avert an avoidable tragedy.
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Page 2
2. Use our military not as the solution to every problem but as one element in a comprehensive strategy.
3. Make international institutions work, and work through them when possible.
4. Ensure that democracy delivers on its promises. With this principle, HRC discusses the growing economic inequities b/w rich and poor countries:
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Calls for expanding civil and political rights in countries plagued by mass poverty and ruled by tiny wealthy elites will fall on deaf ears unless democracy actually delivers enough material benefits to improve people's lives. The Bush administration's policy in Iraq has temporarily given democracy a bad name, but over the long term the value of democracy will continue to inspire the world.
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Page 2
5. Stand for and live up to our values. In other words, don't torture.
Hillary then describes the steps that will need to be taken in order for the US to restore its leadership around the world. She says the first step needs to be ending the war in Iraq. She then describes measures for withdrawing from Iraq and implementing the diplomatic means to spur stabilization of the region. Finally, she also talks about the need to get our allies to help us with the growing refugee problem in Iraq and in that neighborhood.
HRC then describes the methods she would employ to combat terrorism. She then talks about Afghanistan, the importance of building up intelligence infrastructure and strengthening our alliances around the world. She calls for engaging in robust diplomacy in dealing with Iran. She also talks about the establishment of an int'l fuel bank to discourage nations from acquiring nuclear weapons. She also discusses the removal of nuclear material from nuclear sites in order to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.
Hillary also states that diplomacy will be required to deal with Russia and China. She believes that we have common interests with both countries but we also need to deal with the challenges that they present to us.
HRC also believes that we need to strengthen our alliances, including our alliances with Europe, India, Brazil, Mexico as well as provide economic support to Africa. She suggests one project to expand the opportunties in the continent of Africa:
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As president, I will press for quick passage of the Education for All Act, which would provide $10 billion over a five-year period to train teachers and build schools in the developing world. This program would channel funds to those countries that provide the best plans for how to use them and rigorously measure performance to ensure that our dollars deliver results for children.
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Page 7
Hillary then discusses a desire for the US to lead in the fight against global warming. She then ends the article by discussing the importance of the US in standing up for human rights:
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Human rights will never truly be realized as long as a majority of the world's population is still treated as second-class citizens. Twelve years ago, the UN convened a historic conference on women in Beijing, where I was proud to represent our country and to proclaim that women's rights are human rights. Since then, women have been elected heads of state in countries on nearly every continent. Thanks to the United States, many, but not yet all, Afghan women have been liberated from one of the most tyrannical and repressive regimes of our day and are now in schools, in the work force, and in parliament.
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Page 7
Anyway, just wanted to make people aware that she had written this article as well as provide a brief summary of the issues she discussed within it. I'm sure that her opponents and the chattering classes will discuss the content of the article at great lengths!! Enjoy....
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