



A speech by





The Minister for Foreign Affairs  The Hon Alexander Downer MP



To the



World Affairs Council



MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF A CHANGING  REGIONAL AND GLOBAL SECURITY OUTLOOK





Los Angeles, 19 January 2004

(Check against delivery)

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Ladies and gentleman

It is a great pleasure to have this opportunity to address the World Affairs Council.

The Council has a well earned - and justified - reputation for fostering debate on the  leading issues of global affairs.

Introduction

There is no doubt that the United States is home to much contemporary theory on  foreign affairs and international relations.

Thinkers like Morgenthau and Kissinger have had a profound influence on the  development of the post war theoretical discourse.

US policy makers have been adept at turning these theories into practice…

…and in some cases, turning theorists into practitioners - (Henry Kissinger and  Condoleezza Rice being cases in point).

While at times the discipline of international relations can be conducted in a highly  theoretical fashion, and a subject of intense debate among purists of different schools,  this discussion is often remote to the daily lives of the broader community.

As foreign minister I take decisions that are deeply relevant to people’s lives and have  a direct bearing on the security and well-being of my fellow Australians.

As a consequence of globalisation and since September 11, the public have come to  see in stark terms how international relations and the foreign policy decisions  Governments make are central to their lives



Foreign policy now ranks among the bread and butter issues for all of us. It is no  longer considered the preserve of the few …

…or an outlet for those fascinated with symbols and rhetoric.

I regard this change to the way in which people see foreign policy as a positive thing.

It places ever greater demands on practitioners to achieve outcomes rather than to  posture.

My experience in nearly eight years as foreign minister is that a focus on outcomes  delivers dividends for many. I see proof in the…

… freedoms now enjoyed by the people of East Timor…

… renewal of prosperity of South East Asia …

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… small businesses opening up in the Solomon Islands …

… Afghan girls attending their first school lessons…

… Iraqi people emerging from the darkness of one of the vilest tyrannies the modern  world has known.

These results have come about through purposeful policy, decisive action and clarity  about the challenges we face.

President Theodore Roosevelt understood this one hundred years ago when he said:  ‘A great people owes it to itself and to all mankind not to sink into helplessness before  the powers of evil.’

A century on, Roosevelt’s words still ring true as we confront the key challenges of  our age.

Firstly the global insecurity we face from …

… the murderous fanaticism of international terrorism

… the nightmarish potential of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

… the incubators of future threats in failed states

And secondly the unfinished objective of defeating poverty in the third world and  securing global prosperity.

We must show strength and determination in meeting these challenges.

Practical people will want to know how we will do this.

We know that hollow words and empty posturing are provocative weakness in the  face of tyrants and murderers like Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

This is why Australia joined its coalition partners to destroy the repressive Taliban  regime in Afghanistan and its shelter for al-Qaeda.

International terrorism and the spread of WMD-related material and missiles threaten  Australia, our friends and allies, as never before.

The threats are real and the imperative for action urgent.

The nexus of terrorist groups, state sponsors of terrorism, and WMD is the security  nightmare of the 21st century.

These threats underline indivisibility of international security:  terrorism in one region will impact on others and no-one is immune.

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The al-Qaeda attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 gave the campaign  against terrorism an urgency that it had long deserved, but had not received in the past  - to our great and common misfortune.

… Australians died in the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and  closer to home, in the Bali bombings in October 2002 which claimed the lives of 88  of my countrymen and women.

And the recent appalling attacks in Istanbul and Riyadh demonstrate again the  virulence of the terrorist threat and the indiscriminate nature of the death and  suffering it causes.



We are working closely with our friends and neighbours to hunt down terrorist  organisations, cut off their finances and disrupt their operations.

… Australian and Indonesian police forces have worked together brilliantly in the  aftermath of the Bali bombing in October 2002 to hunt down the perpetrators and  bring them to justice.

This highly successful joint investigation by Australian and Indonesian authorities  into the Bali bombing has led to the arrest of 36 people to date, with 29 already tried  and convicted.

It has been one of the most impressive set of terrorism prosecutions conducted  anywhere, either before or after 9/11, and I commend the Indonesian Government for  the vigour with which they have pursued this task.

Across the region, 200 suspected Jema’ah Islamyah have been detained, with JI  terrorist mastermind Hambali in US custody.

The region is becoming a more difficult environment for terrorist groups.  But al-Qaeda, Jema’ah Islamiyah and other terrorist organisation retain a formidable  capability.

… we already have bilateral agreements with nine countries in our region on counter  terrorism cooperation.

… next month, I will co-host with my Indonesian counterpart an Asia Pacific summit  meeting on counter terrorism cooperation

Disrupting the activities of terrorist groups will be a long and difficult process.

We have made some progress, but more remains to be done.

And there is no doubting the importance of US leadership and assistance in this global  campaign

… everyone with experience in national security matters knows how crucial US  intelligence and resources are in this fight.

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Proliferation of WMD

Terrorism has also given a new urgency to finding practical solutions to the problem  of WMD proliferation

The strategic implications of WMD acquisition by a rogue state are serious enough;  but each state that deviates from non-proliferation norms also provides an opportunity  for potential proliferators or terrorists to access WMD and missile material and know-how.

We know terrorists have sought to acquire these weapons.

Osama bin Laden has declared openly that he would use such weapons if he had them.

Australia has been an active and consistent supporter of multilateral non-proliferation  regimes

…underlined by the singular contributions we have made over the years in support of  critical normative instruments such as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Chemical  and Biological Weapons Conventions, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It was against this background that we strongly supported the UN Security Council's  12-year effort to remove and verify the removal of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

When the UN effort faltered, we joined the coalition military action to remove the  threat to international security and end Saddam Hussein’s decade of defiance of the  international community.

While some people may worry about whether the action we took was popular, we did  what was right and will continue to do so.

… Iraq will never again threaten its own people, its neighbours or the international  community with weapons of mass destruction.

… its people will enjoy freedoms and opportunities hitherto undreamed of and we not  abandon them

Our resolve to deal with Saddam also sent a shiver through those who similarly seek  to defy and threaten the international community.

We demonstrated there were consequences for such actions, and by doing so we have  achieved results.

Iran has entered into negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency.  Australia and the United States are now working with the broader international  community to ensure that Iran understands clearly that it must conform to the letter  and spirit of non-proliferation obligations

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Libya has renounced its WMD programs and ambitions. Its agreement to forsake  weapons of mass destruction and allow weapons inspectors from international  organisations into the country is welcome news.



North Korea has engaged in six party talks and is aware the continued pursuit of  nuclear weapons will bring only further isolation.

And, others like Syria are more carefully considering their approach.

We have also sought to cut the supply of WMD-related materials and missiles to  rogue states through close cooperation with like-minded countries on effective export  and transhipment controls.

And we are a partner with the United States, and other countries, in the Proliferation  Security Initiative, which seeks to develop practical ways to impede illicit trade in  WMD including through maritime, air and ground interdiction.

What all this shows is that practical action against WMD proliferation can achieve  real results.

Effective multilateral diplomacy will also remain vital to the promotion of  international peace and security - the UN and its organs will remain central to that  task.

Australia is pursuing reform of the UN, including at the recent session of the General  Assembly, to ensure, however, that it remains relevant and responsive to  contemporary global challenges.

Failing states

Just as we must deal with existing states of concern, we also need to help those on the  precipice of collapse.

We cannot afford to ignore those societies that have ceased to function through a  failure of political order, economic growth or social cohesion.

Terrorism has underlined the threat to international security posed by weak and failed  states.

Afghanistan illustrated the central role that such states can play in providing shelter  and support for terrorist networks.

But terrorism is not the only consequence of weak or failed states.

… the smuggling of people, the laundering of money, the trafficking of drugs and  weapons - including in some cases WMD materials - are all made easier in states  whose legal and political systems have ceased to operate.

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In the end, international security is strengthened by all members of the international  community having a robust capacity to detect and disrupt terrorists or trans-national  criminals.

In our own region, Australia is working to strengthen the institutions and improve the  outlook of countries around us.

Most recently, the Government has committed itself to helping the people and  government of Papua New Guinea realise their national goals.

We have agreed with the PNG Government a package of enhanced cooperation, in  particular, in the areas of economic management, public sector reform, border security  and law, justice and policing.

Of course, if anything typifies the extent to which we have been prepared to support  and work with our regional partners over the last year, it is the Regional Assistance  Mission to Solomon Islands.

In cooperation with our Pacific neighbours, and at the invitation of the Solomon’s  Government, the mission has achieved some remarkable things.

For the first time in three years the people of the Solomon’s are able to live their lives  free of violence.

For the first time in three years the Solomon Islands’ Government is able to operate  and deliver services to its people free of intimidation.

Of course the mission is not over.  Much remains to be done.

But it is gratifying to be able to say at such an early stage that we are well on the way  to helping the people of the Solomon’s build a brighter, more stable and more  prosperous future.

Globalisation

Our ambition for a brighter future is not confined to our neighbours in the South  Pacific.

It is bound in an idea.

An idea that through globalisation we can globalise prosperity.

This enormous challenge requires a truly global commitment - from developed and  developing countries - to removing barriers to trade and economic growth.

It needs an understanding of what made our countries - Australia and the United  States - so prosperous.

An understanding that economic freedom; individual property rights, free trade;  accountable government; and contestable ideas are the foundations of prosperity.

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But these ideas will only take root if we lead by example.

We need to help the developing world build the institutions of good governance.

And we must end the hypocrisy of many developed countries that give aid with one  hand, but through protectionist trade policies take back with the other.

We need to open our markets to the developing world and truly fulfil the promise of  globalisation.

Conclusion

This is the real world is where the foreign policy of the Australian Government  operates.

We focus on those relationships, institutions and issues that matter most to  Australians and which will deliver results.

Our national interests remain the touchstone of our foreign and trade policies.

These interests are increasingly global; they are not defined solely by geography.

And they are informed by our values as a society:  our faith in democratic principles,  individual worth and achievement, and a sense of duty to help others less fortunate  than ourselves.

In this environment the security alliance between Australia and America of over 50  years has even greater importance and relevance

…it has endured because of the values we share, and because we can be confident in  the other as a reliable, consistent and dependable ally.

Our alliance has seen us through challenges of the past. It will deliver us from the  challenges of the present and take us forward into the future.

Australians and Americans have not just a right, but a responsibility to dream of a  better world.

But we also need to have the courage to make our dreams a reality. To act, not just to  talk and hope.

We can help peoples throughout the world fulfil their goals of greater freedom and  prosperity.

We can rid the world of senseless terrorism and the threat of human obliteration by  weapons of mass destruction.

But we cannot do these things without courage, strength and resolve.

