Biden, Richardson Respond To N.H. Foreign Policy Initiative
Democratic presidential candidates Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware today responded to a bipartisan group of New Hampshire business, civic, political and academic leaders who urge all of the presidential candidates to strengthen and elevate America's non-military tools for global engagement.
Republican former vice presidential candidate and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp and four-star retired general and former White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey also joined the New Hampshire leaders for the launch of Impact '08 in New Hampshire: Building a Better, Safer World.
Richardson stressed the need for the use of the full slate of America's foreign policy tools to meet the increasingly dynamic threats of the 21st century, saying, "The challenges that the world faces now are transnational: jihadism, terrorism, disease, climate change, our dependence
on foreign oil. I believe that our foreign policy needs to employ our smart power tools -- diplomacy, development, and making use of America's moral leadership -- to confront these issues."
Biden emphasizes the need to increase America's investments in development and diplomacy, highlighting the current political crisis in Pakistan as an example. Biden laid out a new plan for U.S. policy toward Pakistan which includes tripling non-security aid to $1.5 billion dollars
annually for at least a decade.
"The aid would be unconditioned; it is our pledge to the Pakistani people. Instead of funding
military hardware, it would build schools, clinics, and roads to help support the moderate majority in that country.... Democracies do not flourish in places where economies fail," Biden says.
Biden also says there is a need to restore America's moral leadership in the world, and commended the Center for U.S. Global Engagement for convening the forum. "I'm proud to stand with this organization because of what they stand for. We have a common vision for the future. It's the vision of an America that embraces the power of its example as well as the
example of its power. It's the vision of an America that recaptures the totality of its strength." He adds, "We should have an equally powerful civilian force to match our military force."
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Republican former vice presidential candidate and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp and four-star retired general and former White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey also joined the New Hampshire leaders for the launch of Impact '08 in New Hampshire: Building a Better, Safer World.
Richardson stressed the need for the use of the full slate of America's foreign policy tools to meet the increasingly dynamic threats of the 21st century, saying, "The challenges that the world faces now are transnational: jihadism, terrorism, disease, climate change, our dependence
on foreign oil. I believe that our foreign policy needs to employ our smart power tools -- diplomacy, development, and making use of America's moral leadership -- to confront these issues."
Biden emphasizes the need to increase America's investments in development and diplomacy, highlighting the current political crisis in Pakistan as an example. Biden laid out a new plan for U.S. policy toward Pakistan which includes tripling non-security aid to $1.5 billion dollars
annually for at least a decade.
"The aid would be unconditioned; it is our pledge to the Pakistani people. Instead of funding
military hardware, it would build schools, clinics, and roads to help support the moderate majority in that country.... Democracies do not flourish in places where economies fail," Biden says.
Biden also says there is a need to restore America's moral leadership in the world, and commended the Center for U.S. Global Engagement for convening the forum. "I'm proud to stand with this organization because of what they stand for. We have a common vision for the future. It's the vision of an America that embraces the power of its example as well as the
example of its power. It's the vision of an America that recaptures the totality of its strength." He adds, "We should have an equally powerful civilian force to match our military force."
Watch more breaking news now on our video feed:
Bookmark http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/ and drop back in for more news from the nation's capital.
Labels: Bill Richardson, Democrats, diplomacy, foreign policy, international, Joe Biden, New Hampshire
posted by Scott Nance at
3:57 PM
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