U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once again affirmed her country's support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and voiced concern over Russia’s use of force in August 2008 in her address entitled the Future of European Security at L'Ecole Militaire in Paris on January 29.

Clinton highlighted the U.S. commitment to European security, stating that it “remains an anchor of U.S. foreign and security policy. A strong Europe is critical to our security and our prosperity.” Therefore the U.S. continues to work with its European allies and partners “to help bring stability to Afghanistan and try to take on the dangers posed by Iran’s nuclear ambition.” This cooperation also helps in revitalising the global economy and fighting extreme poverty, climate change, gender-based violence, and pandemic disease. Human rights and universal values remain at the core of the U.S. and European initiatives, Clinton said.

Clinton said that “a set of core principles” guides the U.S. and Europe in achieving the goal of security in the region and beyond. First, she said, “the cornerstone of security is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.” The U.S. has demonstrated adherence to this principle by repeatedly urging Russia to honour the terms of its ceasefire agreement with Georgia, and by refusing to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The second principle, Clinton said, is “the indivisibility of security in Europe.” She said that “there is only one Europe,” which includes both the U.S. and Russia. Criticising Medvedev’s proposal for new security treaties, she said the common goals of security “are best pursued in the context of existing institutions, such as the OSCE and the NATO-Russia Council.” At the same time Clinton also praised cooperation between Russia and the U.S., which has proved fruitful in the past several years.

The third of the core principles outlined by Clinton is “an unwavering commitment to the pledge enshrined in Article 5 of the NATO treaty that an attack on one is an attack on all.” The United States will thus continue to station troops in Europe, “both to deter attacks and respond quickly if any occur.” Fourthly, Clinton said that the U.S. is “committed to practicing transparency in our dealings in Europe, and we call on other nations to do the same.” She spoke in support of a more open exchange of military data, visits to military sites and observation of military exercises. “To this end, the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty needs our attention,” Clinton said. A cornerstone of conventional arms control and “confidence-building,” it is “in danger of crumbling,” she said. Two years ago, Russia suspended the implementation of the CFE Treaty, and “the Russia-Georgia war in 2008 was not only a tragedy but has created a further obstacle to moving forward.”

“Fifth, people everywhere have the right to live free from the fear of nuclear destruction,” Clinton said. And while the U.S. and Russia continue to reduce their Cold War nuclear arsenals, the world now faces a new threat of nuclear materials being thrust into the hands of terrorists.

To further nuclear nonproliferation, the U.S. will seek to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and negotiate a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. It will also continue its efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.

Finally Clinton said that “security entails not only peaceful relations between states but opportunities and rights for the individuals who live within them.” Development, democracy, and human rights should thus remain the basis of any security framework, she said. “Now Europe understands this, that security is about more than military might, it is also about human potential,” Clinton said.

To promote democracy the U.S. and its European allies and partners are continuing the efforts which began during the final stages of the Cold War. [snip]

[snip]

The partnership between the U.S. and Europe reaches beyond security, Clinton said. “At its core, it is about defending and advancing our values in the world,” Clinton said. She said that the Euro-Atlantic alliance and its partners should not merely defend their values, but also promote them. “There is so much that the West has to be proud of and to lay a claim to,” Clinton said. “We are closer than ever to achieving the goal that has inspired European and American leaders and citizens – not only a Europe transformed, secure, democratic, unified and prosperous, but a Euro-Atlantic alliance that is greater than the sum of its parts, that stands for these values that have stood the test of time, and has worked strategically to move toward a vision that may need to be updated and modernised, but is timely,” Clinton concluded.

By GT Staff

2010.02.01 13:38 "

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