"We need to pursue a policy of "Forward Engagement" - addressing problems early in their development before they become crises; addressing them as close to the source of the problem as possible; and having the forces and resources to deal with those threats as soon after their emergence as possible."- Al Gore

Al Gore believes that America's peace and security depend on our unflagging leadership and engagement in global affairs - and that Forward Engagement is the strategy that must guide us. In this Global Age, the U.S. must be able to deal with the classic security agenda, and must also work to counter new threats. Al Gore will work to maintain America's economic and military strength. The U.S. must continue to close the gates of war by making peace among former enemies. Al Gore will fight to stop terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. He will also form partnerships to help solve global problems and take advantage of new global opportunities. That means that the U.S. must deepen our key alliances, develop more constructive relationships with former enemies, and bring together diverse coalitions of nations to deal with new problems.

INTRODUCTION

Over the past eight years, the Clinton-Gore Administration has had many successes in the foreign policy arena. The U.S. achieved victory and ended ethnic cleansing in Kosovo - allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees to return to their homes in safety. The Administration helped achieve historic breakthroughs in the Middle East peace process. It also led the efforts that produced the Good Friday Accord in Northern Ireland - offering the best hope yet of ending decades of bloodshed. The Administration is working to build a self-sustaining peace in Bosnia through the implementation of the Dayton Peace accords. It ended the military dictatorship and gave democracy a chance in Haiti. The Clinton-Gore Administration helped make Americans safer by working to eliminate nearly 5,000 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union and strengthened and expanded NATO for a new century.

At the dawn of a new Global Era, Al Gore recognizes that the U.S. needs a foreign policy that addresses traditional threats to our security - and understands new ones as well. These new challenges do not respect national borders or old ways of thinking. He proposes a foreign policy based upon the concept of "Forward Engagement" - addressing problems as early in their development and as close to their source as possible. Al Gore believes that the U.S. must lead the world in meeting new security challenges and new opportunities for prosperity.

STOPPING THE FORCES THAT CAUSE CHAOS AND INSTABILITY

"While the old threats persist, there are new things under the sun - new forces arising that now or soon will challenge our international order, raising issues of peace and war: a New Security Agenda." - Al Gore

• Technology's unprecedented power means that lawlessness, disease, and ecological disruptions - which once were localized - now land on America's doorstep even as they also threaten the stability and security of nations all over the world.
• Ecological disruption threatens the basic pillars of society. The U.S. must act now to protect our Earth while preserving and creating jobs for our people. Al Gore will work to end environmental degradation and reduce green house emissions.
• The U.S. must help treat and prevent global epidemics, such as HIV-AIDS. Each day, 11,000 more men, women, and children become infected.
• The U.S. must fight global crime syndicates and narcotics traffic. Al Gore will build on the Administration's efforts to expand the rule of law, fight corruption, and improve democratic governance.

TRANSFORMING OUR MILITARY

"It is still a dangerous world - and a strong military has to be the cornerstone of our security." Al Gore

• A strong, flexible, and modern military force is the ultimate guarantor of our physical survival and the protection of our interests and values. Today, America's military is the best-trained, best-equipped, and most capable fighting force in the world. As good as they are, the armed forces must continue to evolve.
• Our armed forces must not only remain prepared for conventional military action, but must sharpen their ability to deal with new missions and new kinds of threats. They must become more agile, more versatile, and must more completely incorporate the revolutionary implications and advantages of American supremacy in information technology.
• The Clinton-Gore Administration enacted the largest military pay increase in 20 years. But Al Gore believes that we must do more. Al Gore will continue to boost military pay and recruit, train, and retain the most highly-qualified personnel.
• Al Gore will also make sure that the military has the most advanced weaponry, sophisticated intelligence, information systems and, in addition, continues to invest in research and development for future supremacy.

CLOSING THE GATES OF WAR

"America must continue to help former enemies make peace." - Al Gore

• Al Gore is fundamentally committed to the security of our ally, Israel, and the creation of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.
• Al Gore pledges to work toward full implementation of the Good Friday Accord in Northern Ireland - the best hope in a generation for ending the bloodshed. His goal is not merely the laying down of arms, but the joining together of hands in a new political relationship that enables former rivals to govern and thrive together.
• In the Balkans, the Clinton-Gore Administration ended ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo by the resolute use of military power and vigorous diplomacy. Now, Al Gore will work to build a self-sustaining peace.
• Al Gore is also committed to: bringing a permanent end to tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to continue close U.S.-Armenian ties; facilitating a dialogue between former enemies in Latin America, Africa, between North and South Korea, between China and Taiwan, and between India and Pakistan.

ENGAGING FORMER ENEMIES

"We must engage Russia and China, not pretend we can turn our backs on them. The greatest threat to America is not the strength of Russia and China, but their weakness." - Al Gore

• Our interests are in a stable and democratic Russia that does not threaten the U.S. or our allies. While Russia has had more setbacks and problems than the U.S. would like, the Clinton-Gore Administration has made significant progress on a number of major issues, and has forged U.S.-Russian cooperation that was unimaginable a decade ago.
• With respect to China, U.S. interests are not served by those who would treat it like an enemy. Al Gore will build cooperation where we can and deal with differences as we must. He believes that our long-term strategy must be to encourage China to become a strong, prosperous, and open society, while integrating it into the institutions that promote global norms on proliferation, trade, the environment, and human rights.
• A Gore Administration will fulfill its responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act. A Gore Administration will also remain committed to a "One China" policy. Al Gore supports a resolution of cross-Straits issues that is both peaceful and consistent with the wishes of the people of Taiwan.

ENHANCING EXISTING ALLIANCES

"[We] need not only a new generation of weapons. We need a new generation of thinking. That means strengthening and renewing our key alliances." - Al Gore

• The Clinton-Gore Administration strongly supported the accession of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary as a milestone in building a stronger NATO and a more democratic and unified Europe. Al Gore looks forward to bringing in additional qualified members to NATO in the future who share our values and are willing to take on the responsibilities of membership.
• Al Gore believes that we must strengthen our alliances and partnerships in Asia, with Japan, and with South Korea. Al Gore will intensify our strategic cooperation with our ally Japan, while finding more avenues to deal with Japan on a range of issues, from supporting democracy in Asia to promoting fair trade. And he remains committed to the defense of South Korea.
• Al Gore is also committed to enhancing our alliance with the countries of Latin America. He will build on the work that the Clinton-Gore Administration began when the U.S. hosted the first Summit of the Americas to promote hemispheric cooperation on a full spectrum of political, economic, security, and social issues.

PREVENT NEW PHYSICAL THREATS

"We must strengthen our defense against the proliferation of conventional and unconventional weapons that threaten America. And we must step up our battle against terrorists and the new weapons in their arsenal." - Al Gore

• In the former Soviet Union, the U.S. has helped deactivate 5,000 nuclear weapons. Al Gore believes that our top priority must be to continue the work that the Administration has begun with other countries in cutting stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, halting testing, and ensuring that weapons and weapons-grade material do not fall into the wrong hands.
• Our effort to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was derailed by Senate Republicans. As President, Al Gore will promptly resubmit this treaty to the Senate with a demand from the American people for its ratification.
• In the Middle East, Al Gore will make an all-out effort to halt Iran's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems. In Iraq, Al Gore is committed to working with our international partners to keep Saddam Hussein boxed in, and he will work to see him out of power. The Administration has stood up to Saddam Hussein time and time again. As President, Al Gore will not hesitate to use America's military might against Iraq when and where it is necessary.
• Al Gore supports the development of the technology for a limited national missile defense system that will be able to defend the U.S. against a missile attack from North Korea or Iran. A decision to deploy such a system should be made based on four criteria: technical feasibility, cost, an evaluation of the threat, and its impact on arms control. Al Gore places a high value on ensuring that any such system is compatible with the fundamental rationale of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Al Gore also supports continued work in significantly reducing strategic and other nuclear weapons, recognizing that the goal is strategic nuclear stability at progressively lower levels.
• Whether terrorism is sponsored by a foreign nation or inspired by a single fanatic individual, such as Osama Bin Laden, Forward Engagement requires trying to disrupt terrorist networks, even before they are ready to attack. The Clinton-Gore Administration has been committed to fighting terrorism wherever American interests and Americans are threatened. While fighting terrorism, Al Gore will protect the civil liberties of all Americans.

SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES

"I believe that now we have a profound responsibility to open the gates of opportunity for all the world's people so that they can become stakeholders in the kind of society we would like to build at large in the world and at home. Let me be clear: promoting prosperity throughout the world is a crucial form of forward engagement." - Al Gore

• Through our foreign operations funding, the U.S. helps encourage economic and political development in new democracies; helps fight disease, combat illiteracy, offers other assistance in the some of the world's poorest countries, and provides stabilizing support to the developing world.
• Forward Engagement requires investment. There is no way to donate enough money to the parts of the world that are most deeply affected by war, lawlessness, disease, or disorder. What applies to us, applies to them: the only way for them to make real progress is to encourage investment by promoting growth that is sustainable and broadly shared.
• Latin America and the Caribbean must continue to be a focal point of our efforts. Al Gore believes that increased cooperation and trade with our partners in this hemisphere can reduce poverty and the reliance on the drug trade, and ultimately lead to economic development, stability, and prosperity.
• Al Gore regards the recently enacted African Growth and Opportunity Act as a major contribution toward the future prosperity of Africa, and this work must continue.
• Al Gore supports increasing our investment in the International Labor Organization and expanding the use of trade preferences that are tied to improvement in core labor standards. He also wants to reverse the widening gap between rich and poor and nations, which is why he backs debt forgiveness for the world's poorest nations.
• American values and freedoms are a beacon unto nations, and we should use the power of our ideals to foster democracy, human rights, rule of law, and civil society throughout the world. Al Gore believes that America must continue to work closely with other nations, as well as non-governmental organizations to promote these goals.

Source: Al Gore for President 2000 Web Site