Testimony from Clinton and Rice

Jan 15, 2009

Senator Clinton's Testimony before the Foreign Relations Panel:

January 13, 2009

"the State Department will be firing on all cylinders to provide forward-thinking sustained diplomacy in every part of the world..."

"our civilian institutions of diplomacy and development have been chronically undermanned and underfunded for far too long. That is a statement that I can only heartily say "amen" to."

"the United States cannot feed every person, lift every person out of poverty, cure every disease or stop every conflict. But our power and status have conferred upon us a tremendous responsibility to humanity."

"President-elect Obama is committed to responsibly ending the war in Iraq and employing a broad strategy in Afghanistan that reduces threats to our safety and enhances the prospects of stability and peace."

"President-elect Obama has said America must be a leader in developing and implementing a global and coordinated response to climate change."

"George Marshall noted that our gravest enemies are often not nations or doctrines but hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. So to create more friends and fewer enemies we must find common ground and common purpose with other peoples and nations to overcome hatred, violence, lawlessness and despair. The Obama administration recognizes that even when we cannot fully agree with some governments, we share a bond of humanity with their people. By investing in that common humanity, we advance our common security...Investing in our common humanity through social development is not marginal to our foreign policy but essential to the realization of our goals."

"The president-elect and I believe strongly that we need to invest in our capacity to conduct vigorous American diplomacy; provide the kind of foreign assistance that I've mentioned; reach out to the world..."

From Susan Rice's Testimony:

January 15, 2009

"Terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, civil conflict, climate change, genocide, extreme poverty, and deadly disease are global challenges that no single nation can defeat alone."

"More than 60 years ago, our leaders understood that a global institution that brings all of the world's countries together would enhance, not diminish, our influence and bring more security to our people and to the world."

"The goal of our diplomacy at the United Nations must be to make it a more perfect forum to address the most pressing global challenges, to promote peace, to support democracy, and to strengthen respect for human rights."

" Today there's more on the agenda of the United Nations that ever before. Nearly 90,000 U.N. peacekeepers are deployed in 16 missions around the world. The U.N. is playing a vital role in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the United Nations is at the center of global efforts to address climate change and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to stabilize weak and failing states, prevent and resolve conflict, reduce poverty, combat HIV/AIDS, assist refugees and the internally displaced, feed the hungry, promote food security, and confront genocide and crimes against humanity."

"I will work to improve the capacity of the United Nations to undertake complex peace operations more effectively. We need to weigh new U.N. mandates more carefully and review existing mandates as they come up for renewal. The fact that more than one year after the force was established the crucial U.N. mission in Darfur is only at half strength is patently unacceptable."

"the Obama Administration will provide strong leadership to address climate change. Under President Elect Obama, the United States will engage vigorously in U.N.- sponsored climate negotiations while we pursue progress in sub-global, regional, and bilateral settings."

"Preventing the spread and use of nuclear weapons is an enormous security challenge that deserves top level attention...It's essential to strengthen the global non- proliferation and disarmament regime, dealing with those nations in violation and upholding our obligations to work towards the goal of a world without nuclear weapons."

"Billions of the world's people face the threats of poverty, disease, environmental degradation, venal leadership, extremism, corruption and violence. Conflict-ridden and fragile states can incubate these and other threats that rarely remain confined within national borders. President Elect Obama has long stressed the importance of working with others to promote sustainable economic development to combat poverty, enhance food and economy security, including by making the millennium development goals America's goals. If confirmed, I look forward to working with member states to advance this critical agenda at the United Nations."