Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) stated Monday that sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan will be fruitless without an updated strategy.

“The bottom line is that deploying additional troops won’t result in sustainable gains if the Afghan security, civilian and governance capacity isn’t there,” Kerry said during a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, suggested that both the Generals on the ground in Afghanistan and U.S. leaders develop a plan that establishes an attainable mission in the region.

“If we redefine our strategy and objectives to focus on what is achievable as well as critical, and empower the Afghans to take control of their own future, we will give us the best chance to succeed,” said Kerry.

The Massachusetts Democrat condemned General Stanley McChrystal’s call for approximately 40,000 more troops, saying it goes too far and that a solely military approach will not fix the region.

Kerry also spoke on Pakistan’s significance in the region, stating that there needs to be a supportive and open relationship between both the U.S. and Pakistani governments.

“Regardless of what happens in Afghanistan, and especially if we want to reduce the need for boots on the ground, it is vitally important that we intensify our support and improve our cooperation with Pakistan,” said Kerry.

Janet A. Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security addressed a packed crowd at the Council on Foreign Relations this morning in New York. Her speech entitled: Common Threat, Collective Response: Protecting Against Terrorist Attacks in a Networked World, underscored that America is still vulnerable and we must continue to “comprehend and anticipate the range of new threats, including nuclear, chemical and biological.” She highlighted the greater use by insurgent groups around the world of these types of deadly weapons.

Napolitano also said under the Obama Administration, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) also prioritizes protecting the borders from immigration which she stated may also include terrorists trying to get into the country.

“We have to develop a global environment for security. We have to engage the American people in our collective efforts. ”

She underlined getting greater support from American citizens and to promote airline passenger vigilance aids in building a “culture of preparedness”. Napolitano said that 85 percent of our critical assets are owned by the private sector–and their knowledge of technical assistance can greatly help secure infrastructure. She said better training of local law enforcement is a major part of her workplan in the coming months –stating local law enforcement could work together to analyze and provide intelligence. She also cited the importance in maintaining international partners to broker agreements with allies on monitoring baggage and cargo and to forge agreements to combat serious crime in partnership with the Department of Justice.

“We are a nation of families. Think of us as a hub. We have to strengthen our own networks and build on our international partnerships” she said.

 

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By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on Wednesday to outline the Obama administration’s broad foreign policy objectives. Clinton highlighted the administration’s plan to use more tax dollars for foreign aid and realign global governance, and underscored its dedication to U.S. security.

“We advance our security, our prosperity, and our values, by improving the material conditions of people’s lives around the world,” Clinton said. “These efforts also lay the ground work for greater global cooperation by building the capacity of new partners and tackling shared problems from the ground up.”

U.S. foreign aid has not significantly improved global conditions according to Clinton. “We have devoted a smaller percentage of our government budget to development than almost any other advanced country,” despite giving more money than any other nation. “I want more of our tax dollars to be used effectively and deliver tangible results,” Clinton said.

Clinton asserted that the Obama administration will work to build a global consensus through partnerships, saying “we’ll work through existing institutions and reform them, but we’ll go further.”

Amidst a record deficit, pundits have criticized the Obama administration’s foreign policy objectives, calling the goal of providing more foreign aid unsustainable. Additionally, some have criticized the U.S.’s desire to realign global governance, arguing that it weakens U.S. power and leaves the country vulnerable to threats by North Korea and other unfriendly nations.

Clinton addressed these concerns by saying that if the U.S. uses its power to build relationships through common values, the world will be safer because countries will seek to find solutions to the world’s problems.

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Alliance Relation at the Council for Foreign Relations, says that tension between NATO allies exists over the need for more troops in Afghanistan and lagging public support in NATO countries for participation during a conference call on the upcoming NATO summit. (0:56)

 

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Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Alliance Relation at the Council for Foreign Relations, says that the strategic future of NATO is about more than involvement in Afghanistan and Kosovo during a conference call about the upcoming NATO summit. (0:32)

 

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The Council on Foreign Relations held a conference call for journalists on the outlook for the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest. James Goldgeier Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall Senior Fellow for Alliance Relations both gave their input.

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall spoke first and said that never before has NATO been doing so much or so little all at the same time. She explained this comment to mean that since NATO is involved in so many missions; Afghanistan, training missions in Iraq, exercises in supporting the African Union in Somalia and Sudan, and ongoing operations in the Balkans, that there has been too little focus on the strategic vision for NATO’s future. She said that the strategic problems that affect all NATO counties are not limited to Afghanistan or Kosovo but countering nuclear proliferation, managing Russia, containing China, dealing with climate change and dealing with Islamic extremism.

A major point that came up is the difficulty of NATO allies to help in Afghanistan when there is very little support domestically for the Allies to send more troops for combat. Germany in particular has been a point of contention as the German public support for participation in the war in Afghanistan is very low. The caveats attached to NATO and non-NATO allies in Afghanistan have been frustrating to the Pentagon as it limits the usefulness of NATO alliance participation and puts American combat troops at greater risk. Sherwood-Randall also emphasized the need for more non-military support in a statement of strategic vision. She said that while our troops are doing great work they need more non-military support, particularly in the Afghanistan mission.

Goldgeier focused more on the other large agenda item of the NATO summit, which is the consideration of NATO action plans for admitting Albania, Macedonia, Ukraine and Georgia into the NATO alliance. Russia has been outspoken in their opposition of Ukraine and Georgia’s membership and there has also been concern on the U.S. side whether or not these countries will act more as consumers of NATO security and less as contributors. Goldgeier said that United States is just not prepared for this summit and to talk about what is necessary for expansion of the alliance because the current summit will feature a lame duck administration and next year’s summit will feature a brand new administration which won’t have much time to prepare for the 60th anniversary summit.