Senator Kerry Foreign Policy Plan

John Kerry Unveils Comprehensive Plan to Fight the War on Terrorism

In a speech at the UCLA International Institute, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry offered his comprehensive approach to fighting the global war on terrorism. In the second of a series of speeches on national security, Kerry presented a plan to identify, disrupt, and eliminate terrorist networks using all the resources at our disposal. As CIA Director George Tenet starkly reminded us this week, we are threatened by a far-flung terrorist network that will continue to operate even if Bin Laden is caught. Last December, John Kerry addressed the Council on Foreign Relations and outlined a global vision to make America safer and more secure. He is detailing the terrorism component of that vision, strengthening the nation’s position in the global war on terror.

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"Making America Secure Again" (LOTS and LOTS of info here)

John Kerry addressed the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City on Wednesday, December 3rd. In his speech, Senator Kerry laid out a roadmap to reverse the damage to U.S. security and leadership caused by President Bush’s flawed policies of unilateralism and preemptive war, and to create a new era of alliances that will meet the challenge of global terrorism.

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Full Plan

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Q & A with John Kerry

Plan to Restore American Security in Honor of Pearl Harbor Day

Plans to Enhance Intelligence, Improve Port Security

On September 11, 2001, America was again struck by a surprise attack from a hidden enemy, and again we paid a terrible price. This time, however, the President's response was very different. Where President Roosevelt sought answers, President Bush has sought to avoid blame, repeatedly stonewalling the 9/11 Commission and Congressional efforts to understand the intelligence mistakes that led up to September 11th. In fact, the Bush Administration has not even completed the National Intelligence Review mandated at the beginning of the Administration. Nor has the Bush Administration taken the necessary steps to improve homeland security by making our ports safer.

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A Proven Leader: Kerry’s Background and Experience

During his 18 years of service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry has distinguished himself as a seasoned leader and one of our nation’s most respected voices on national security and international affairs. A decorated combat veteran and the son of an American diplomat, he has been out front in the battle to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, modernize our military, promote democracy and respect for human rights abroad, and improve our homeland security.

Beginning with his groundbreaking work on the Senate investigations into the Iran-Contra and BCCI scandals, Senator Kerry has taken on complex and challenging issues, earning a bipartisan reputation for integrity and perseverance. As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, Senator Kerry traveled frequently to Southeast Asia to investigate the fate of missing American soldiers, laying the groundwork for normalization of diplomatic and trade relations with Vietnam. He has continued to play a prominent role in formulating U.S. policy in the region in his role as ranking Democrat on the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee.

In 1997 Kerry wrote The New War, an in-depth assessment of the national security issues facing the United States in the 21st Century. Drawing on his extensive Senate experience, including a term as chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics and International Operations, Senator Kerry played a key role in crafting the American response to the events of September 11th, and he has since been a leading Democratic voice on developments in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fight against terrorism, and the Middle East peace process.

Priorities

Promoting American Security in the 21st Century

“Those who seek to lead have a duty to offer a clear vision of how we can make Americans safer and America more trusted and respected in the world.”

“I come here today to make the case that we can do a better job of making our country safer and stronger,” Senator Kerry said in introducing his broad new vision for American foreign policy, a progressive internationalism designed to address the challenges we face in promoting America’s national security interests while leading the world in the 21st Century. “This is a time for new American leadership in the world” he said, “with a progressive internationalism, shaped by our bedrock values and quiet confidence in our strength and in our cause, we must once again demonstrate America’s resolve.” Rejecting the Administration’s “erratic unilateralism,” Senator Kerry called on America to engage diplomatically in creating alliances that enhance collective security. "America’s safety depends on rallying the forces of freedom,” he said, “engagement to shape a safer world is the urgent imperative of our time.”

Securing Afghanistan
“As both a soldier and a Senator, I learned that when it comes to war, our goal must not be just regime change but a lasting peace. The United States has won the war in Afghanistan without securing the peace.”

After playing a prominent role in crafting legislation authorizing the use of force to remove the Taliban and destroy al Qaeda’s terrorist infrastructure, Senator Kerry pushed for making a long-term commitment to creating a stable and democratic Afghanistan after our military objectives were accomplished. He continues to call on the U.S. to work with our coalition partners and the United Nations to secure a lasting peace so that the conditions that gave rise to the terrorist threat can never recur. “We must drain the swamps of terrorists,” he said, “but you don’t have a prayer of doing so if you leave the poisoned sources to gather and flow again.”

Winning the Peace in Iraq
“We need the rest of the world to be involved in order to reduce America’s carrying all the risks and all the costs, in order to reduce the targeting of American soldiers, and in order to maximize our ability to wage the war on terror in that region and elsewhere.”

Senator Kerry supported legislation authorizing the use of force if necessary to disarm Iraq and remove the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s brutal and aggressive regime, a position he has not waivered from. In the months leading up to the war, he stressed the importance of working diplomatically to form the broadest possible coalition so that America would have support in the difficult task of reconstructing Iraq. “We should be particularly concerned that we do not go alone or essentially alone if we can avoid it, because the complications and costs of post-war Iraq would be far better managed and shared with the United Nations’ participation,” he said in his address at Georgetown in January. Senator Kerry continues to make the case that greater international involvement is necessary if we are to win the peace as effectively as our troops won the war. “We now know that the Administration went to war without a thorough plan to win the peace” he said in recent remarks on Capitol Hill. “It is time to face that truth and to change course—to share the post-war burden internationally—for the sake of our country, for our standing in the world, and most of all for the young Americans in uniform.” By involving NATO, troops from other countries, and the United Nations, Senator Kerry believes that we can best achieve our goal of helping the Iraqi people to create a stable and democratic Iraq, while reducing the burden on our military and making America more secure by increasing our ability to combat terrorism. "Winning the peace in Iraq is critical to us because it’s going to have a profound impact on the war on terrorism," he said in a recent interview with the Washington Post. "We literally cannot allow ourselves to fail."

Working for Peace in the Middle East and Security for Israel
“Americans’ security depends on helping the people of the Middle East see and act on a legitimate vision of peace.”

John Kerry believes that history and our own best interests demand that the United States maintain a steady policy of friendship and support for Israel. As the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel is our most important ally, and a critical partner in the quest for peace and security in this troubled region. America’s longstanding commitment to Israel’s independence and survival must never waver.

Forging a stable and lasting peace in the Middle East is vital to American national security, to the security of Israel and other countries in the region, and to the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a viable Palestinian state. It is also an essential part of winning the war on terror. Ignoring or downplaying the conflict, as the Bush Administration did for far too long, is a dangerous game.

From his many trips to the region, John Kerry knows that a majority of Israelis and Palestinians want peace and that Israelis expect there will be a Palestinian state. Energetic American leadership is essential to helping them achieve that peace because the United States is the one country with the ability to work with all the parties to facilitate a necessary and meaningful dialogue. John Kerry sees the Bush Administration's road map - albeit long overdue - as an acceptable approach for reinvigorating the peace process. But it will only be viable if U.S. engagement in this process is active, constant, and at the highest levels. The United States cannot walk away or lessen its commitment to this process when violence erupts and the going gets rough. Failure to remain actively engaged will lead to further difficulties down the road and set the prospects for peace farther back. John Kerry believes we must work actively to encourage an end to the violence and to help the parties take the steps outlined by the road map - which both Israelis and Palestinians find difficult. And we must be realistic about what they can and cannot accomplish.

While no country can dictate the terms of peace, those opposed to peace can destroy its prospects. Israelis and Palestinians committed to peace cannot let that happen yet again. Progress toward peace cannot be made against a backdrop of terrorism and violence; they are not legitimate tools to achieve political goals.

Prime Minister Qureia must take serious, demonstrable steps to stop the bombings against Israelis and to rein in militant Palestinian groups bent on destroying the peace process. In Kerry’s view, it is critical that our European and Arab allies support this effort aggressively. If Prime Minister Qureia is committed to this course of action, the United States and its allies should provide technical assistance and training to the Palestinian security forces to strengthen their capacity to root out terrorist groups. The United States must also work with both Israelis and Palestinians to create acceptable and verifiable security benchmarks that the Palestinian Authority can reasonably achieve. While Israel must never give up its right to protect its citizens, the Israeli government must be prepared to respond with steps to alleviate hardships on the Palestinian people. The United States must work with Israel to identify and implement these confidence building measures.

As meaningful steps are taken to fight terrorism, Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Qureia must move forward simultaneously with determination, perseverance, and demonstrated commitment on the road to peace. The United States must support their efforts - keep them focused on the end game of two states; Israel and Palestine, living side by aside in peace and security - and help them take the necessary steps to build enough confidence and trust in each other to get there. Kerry believes that a challenge of this magnitude and importance can only be met by successful and engaged Presidential leadership - leadership that he will provide as President.

Giving Our Military the Tools and Support it Needs
“It is up to Democrats to understand and prepare for Fourth Generation Warfare - fighting unconventional forces in unconventional ways- so our nation can be better prepared to wage and win the new war.”

Senator Kerry is a strong proponent of providing our military with the resources necessary to meet the complex challenges of 21st century warfare. “We face critical choices in the makeup and structuring of the U.S. armed forces. Operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and the Persian Gulf have highlighted changes in military tactics and equipment needs. Outdated military equipment may please defense contractors, but it won’t win tomorrow’s battles. A modern military means smarter, more versatile equipment; better intelligence; advanced communications; long-range air power; and highly mobile ground forces.”

As a veteran, Kerry is also committed to giving the members of our armed forces the support they need by providing quality health care, housing, and competitive wages. He recently co-sponsored an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Bill that will allow the military to transport families of soldiers wounded while on active duty. “Service to our nation is something we should not only promote, but also honor” he said in introducing the amendment, “and we honor that service by making every effort to ensure that the families of our troops who are put in harm’s way are taken care of if the worst should happen.”

Promoting Democracy and Respect for Human Rights
“We must place increased focus on the development of democratic values and human rights as the keys to long term security. . . in light of recent events, it has become even clearer that the preservation of American liberty is not only linked to the expansion of democracy, but dependent upon it.”

Senator Kerry has consistently supported programs that promote democracy and respect for human rights. He sponsored the Code of Conduct of Arms Transfers Act, legislation that would prohibit U.S. military assistance and arms transfers to nations that are undemocratic, do not adequately protect the human rights of their citizens, or engage in acts of armed aggression. He was also instrumental in facilitating the creation of the UN genocide tribunal in Cambodia, travelling to the country several times to mediate negotiation of its governing statute, and was a strong proponent of U.S. participation in the NATO intervention that put an end to the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. A longtime supporter of the pro-democracy efforts of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he has met with personally, Kerry recently co-sponsored bipartisan legislation imposing sanctions on that country’s military regime for detaining the activist and repressing her National League for Democracy party.

Fighting HIV/AIDS
“The United States must be a leader in assembling an international coalition with other governments and private sector partners a coalition with the will and the resources to confront the pandemic of HIV/AIDS with the same will that we bring to the war on terrorism.”

Senator Kerry has been at the forefront of the battle against HIV/AIDS, authoring major elements of the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000, legislation that was signed into law by President Clinton in August of 2000. He subsequently authored the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2002, sweeping legislation that would have significantly increased funding for treatment of these diseases while requiring the U.S. to adopt a comprehensive five year plan to win the global war against AIDS. That legislation was passed unanimously by the Senate and was a primary force in prompting the Administration to endorse global AIDS legislation this year. As he said in calling on America to take the lead in confronting the AIDS crisis in developing nations, “Responding is not only morally right, but deeply practical and fundamentally important to the cause of global stability and ultimately our own safety. How can countries or whole continents torn apart by an untreated epidemic successfully resist the call to violence, terror, and the trade of weapons of mass destruction?” Senator Kerry currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Center for Strategic & International Studies Task Force on Strengthening U.S. Leadership on HIV/AIDS.

Supporting Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Measures
“The central challenge for the United States is to undertake to lead the most global, comprehensive effort in history to deal with proliferation and nuclear weapons lost or loose in a dangerous world.”

Senator Kerry has been an outspoken proponent of arms control and non-proliferation measures in the Senate. He fought against withdrawal from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which he viewed as a step backwards in our efforts to promote an international non-proliferation regime. “U.S. rejection of the Treaty would undermine the credibility of U.S. leadership on non-proliferation,” he said in a floor statement, “which will jeopardize U.S. work to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons…and to block the sale of sensitive technologies that could contribute to proliferation.” When the Administration sought ratification of a nuclear arms reduction agreement with Russia that lacked verification procedures, Kerry proposed an amendment requiring annual monitoring reports. “The Treaty runs the risk of increasing the danger of nuclear theft by stockpiling thousands of warheads,” he said, “if we are to make America safer, and we must, it will take more than cosmetic treaties that leave Russia's nuclear arsenal in place.”

In order to address the threat to our national security posed by unsecured weapons of mass destruction, Senator Kerry supported legislation providing American expertise and funding to the nations of the former Soviet Union to help secure nuclear stockpiles, a program that he now supports extending to other countries, and he has recently called for a major new international initiative to confront this problem. “It is time for the most determined, all-out effort ever initiated to secure the world’s nuclear materials and weapons of mass destruction” he said, “the only answer the clear imperative is a multi-lateral framework implementing global consensus that weapons of mass destruction under the control of terrorists represents the most serious threat to international security today, and warrants an urgent and global response.”

Increasing America’s Energy Security
“Setting a national goal of reducing our reliance on Middle East oil within this next decade is critical to the long-term national security of the United States. No foreign government can embargo clean, domestic, renewable sources of energy and no terrorist can seize control of them.”

Senator Kerry recently proposed a major new initiative designed to increase America’s security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. “Our national security is at stake and we have to act today, not wait for decades while new crises threaten or strike,” he said. By increasing energy efficiency and promoting use of alternative energy sources, Kerry’s plan would free America from reliance on oil from Middle Eastern nations that can be unstable and hostile to our interests, while preserving our natural resources and creating thousands of new jobs for Americans. “Today we have an energy policy of big oil, by big oil, and for big oil,” he said. “It may work for their profits, but it will never work for America.”

Plan to Respond to the International and Domestic AIDS Crisis
As the author of the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS bill ever to pass the Senate and a proven fighter to expand funding for US bilateral and global AIDS programs, John Kerry understands that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has implications for the life and death of millions of men, women and children across the globe as well as for global security. International Plan Domestic Plan

Thanks for all your work; I posted answers to you on your 2 other threads.

You asked for polls links:

www.zogby.com Feb 18 report Bush 50%--Kerry 33% on who do you trust to handle terrorists? There is much detailed info in this report.

www.realclearpolitics.com/bush_vs_kerry.html

This site has listings of most polling firms with results. Also, you can link to these polls for more detailed info.

To repeat what I posted in the other threads, I don't think any people would doubt Kerry's foreig policy knowledge & gravitas.
This is however, about Bush running as a wartime president, & who will keep the country safe? I think Kerry needs to be more aggressive on this.I have never heard him discuss Bin Laden & Al Quida.

I hope you understand what I mean. I am supporting Kerry; I just want to make sure he takes on Bush, where Bush is strongest & Kerry is weakest.

Kerry criticized Bush's handling of unrest in the Middle East, calling the peace process "paralyzed," and he accused the president of shortchanging U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Far too often, troops have been going into harm's way without the weapons and the equipment they depend on…." Kerry said. "Families across America have had to collect funds from their neighbors to buy body armor that is state-of-the-art for their loved ones in uniform, because George Bush has failed to provide it."

Kerry charged that American forces had Osama bin Laden in their grasp more than two years ago at Tora Bora, but that "George Bush held U.S. forces back, and instead called on Afghan warlords with no loyalty to our cause to finish the job."

The Massachusetts senator said that "it will be a great step forward" when Bin Laden is captured, but that it would not be the end of the war on terrorism.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-kerry28feb28,1,1279956.story?coll=la-headlines-nation



Day in and day out, George W. Bush reminds us that he is a war President and that he wants to make national security the central issue of this election. I am ready to have this debate. I welcome it.

I am convinced that we can prove to the American people that we know how to make them safer and more secure – with a stronger, more comprehensive, and more effective strategy for winning the War on Terror than the Bush Administration has ever envisioned.

As we speak, night has settled on the mountains of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. If Osama bin Laden is sleeping, it is the restless slumber of someone who knows his days are numbered. I don’t know if the latest reports – saying that he is surrounded – are true or not. We’ve heard this news before.

We had him in our grasp more than two years ago at Tora Bora but George Bush held U.S. forces back and instead, called on Afghan warlords with no loyalty to our cause to finish the job. We all hope the outcome will be different this time and we all know America cannot rest until Osama bin Laden is captured or killed.

<snip>

I do not fault George Bush for doing too much in the War on Terror; I believe he’s done too little.

Where he’s acted, his doctrine of unilateral preemption has driven away our allies and cost us the support of other nations. Iraq is in disarray, with American troops still bogged down in a deadly guerrilla war with no exit in sight. In Afghanistan, the area outside Kabul is sliding back into the hands of a resurgent Taliban and emboldened warlords.

In other areas, the Administration has done nothing or been too little and too late. The Mideast Peace process disdained for 14 months by the Bush Administration is paralyzed. North Korea and Iran continue their quest for nuclear weapons – weapons which one day could land in the hands of terrorists. And as Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld has admitted, the Administration is still searching for an effective plan to drain the swamps of terrorist recruitment. The President’s budget for the National Endowment for Democracy’s efforts around the world, including the entire Islamic world, is less than three percent of what this Administration gives Halliburton – hardly a way to win the contest of ideas.

Finally, by virtually every measure, we still have a homeland security strategy that falls far short of the vulnerabilities we have and the threats we face.

George Bush has no comprehensive strategy for victory in the War on Terror – only an ad hoc strategy to keep our enemies at bay. If I am Commander-in-Chief, I would wage that war by putting in place a strategy to win it.

We cannot win the War on Terror through military power alone. If I am President, I will be prepared to use military force to protect our security, our people, and our vital interests.

But the fight requires us to use every tool at our disposal. Not only a strong military – but renewed alliances, vigorous law enforcement, reliable intelligence, and unremitting effort to shut down the flow of terrorist funds.

To do all this, and to do our best, demands that we work with other countries instead of walking alone. For today the agents of terrorism work and lurk in the shadows of 60 nations on every continent. In this entangled world, we need to build real and enduring alliances.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0227.html

I got a couple hits on Press Releases for Bin Laden and Al Quaeda but haven't looked them over yet. I'm putting another thread together ..

can never be completed by definition, this country should not seek emergency war powers or restrict freedoms to wage such a "war".

The conditions under which such a "war" would be pursued should be something we should be comfortable as a nation living under forever.

I agree, but I'm not sure trying to effect such a radical change on the national consciousness is feasible in a election season.