[Charles Fishman, editor] Please Distribute 10/08/92 THE ESSENTIAL CLINTON: INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS "I will do what Harry Truman did at the end of World War II --more opportunity, more responsibility, an America strong at home as well as strong abroad." THE MIDDLE EAST --------------------------- "The current round of peace negotiations taking place in Washington is the best chance in a decade of bringing a lasting peace to the region. When I met with prime Minister Rabin last month in Washington, I made clear to him my determination to continue the peace process, if elected. I want to be very clear about this: there will be no hiatus in the current negotiations." "Clearly, we must meet our security commitments to our coalition partners in the Gulf. But any actions must be taken in close consultation with the government of Israel. And arms sales must not undermine our commitment to Israel's qualitative edge." "We must ensure that Israel maintains a military and technological edge over those who have sworn to drive the Jews into the sea." "I oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and I recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Additionally, I condemn the illegal Arab economic boycott of Israel. . . ." "The peace negotiations will no doubt take time, but there is a simple step the Arabs should have taken long ago--an end to their illegal boycott against Israel. That boycott is economic warfare and that war must end now." "It is time the administration made it clear that the United States will no longer turn a blind eye to this practice, by putting an end to U.S. government contracts with anyone who participates in the boycott. That is why I support Al Gore's initiative to prohibit Defense Department contracts with any foreign companies that participate in the Arab League's boycott against Israel." "We need an administration that will promote action to stop the spread of dangerous missiles in the Middle East, and a strong international effort, and tough sanctions, to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of nations like Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya." "Other important challenges in the Middle East will include the effort to stop Saddam Hussein from violating the terms of the cease-fire agreement. . . ." THE VISION --------------------------- "My foreign policy strategy in general will reflect the values I bring to the relationship with Israel. My administration will speak out and take action against human rights abuses regardless of the race, religion or ethnicity of the victims." "At the same time, I will strengthen America's hand in the international realm by strengthening our position here at home." "No American foreign policy can succeed if it neglects our domestic needs. And no American foreign policy can succeed if it slights our commitment to democracy." "When the President went to Japan last year, the whole trade mission ended with the Japanese Prime Minister saying he felt sympathy for the United States." "Now he did not feel sympathy for us because we lack ships or planes or weapons of war. . . . He felt sympathy for us because he believes that we do not have the discipline, or the vision, or the will to rebuild America. Because the Japanese and the Germans know, even if the Americans do not, that national security begins at home." "If you're not strong at home, you cannot be strong abroad. It is true for each and every one of us in our own families, and it is true for the family of our nation." THE RECORD --------------------------- "I supported President Bush's efforts in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I support the tough line the Administration has taken with Saddam Hussein recently. I urged the policies the Administration has adopted in Bosnia and Somalia." "[However,] I am angered by the Bush administration's appeasement of Saddam Hussein before the war and disappointed by its callous disregard for democratic principles after the war." "What makes a president fit to command is, in my view, faith in God, belief in the greatness of our country and the goodness of our people, a commitment to making and keeping America the strongest country in the world--militarilly, economically, and morally--and an understanding of the essential character of the American people. "In the end, every decision must be guided by principle as well as experience." THE PLAN --------------------------- We are told we can not afford $50 billion a year [to rebuild America's infrastructure] but Taiwan, Taiwan, a country less than one-tenth our size, is spending $50 billion a year in the next six years to build new roads, to build new industrial technology, to clean up their environment." "They have decided that they want to be as rich as Germany and Japan and the United States, and you know something, they will be, and then some, unless we do what it takes to invest in our country." "[America] cannot choose between international engagement and domestic reconstruction--they are two sides of the same coin." "From now on a large part of our national security policy must be found in economic strength as well as military might. A country that is not strong at home cannot be strong abroad." ENDORSEMENTS --------------------------- Admiral William Crowe, Ronald Reagan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reappointed as Chairman by George Bush: "America needs new leadership. After considerable thought, I have concluded that Governor Clinton offers America the best choice for the future, and I strongly endorse him for President of the United States." (September 20, 1992)