Transcript

SENATOR KERRY: When John F. Kennedy spoke at the founding of USAID in 1961, he articulated a basic truth about foreign policy. He said we can’t escape our moral obligation to be a wise leader in the community of nations. And Kennedy warned, and I quote, “To fail to meet those obligations now would be disastrous, and in the long run, more expensive.” He was talking about facing communism at that time.

"For widespread poverty and chaos lead to the collapse of existing political and social structures, which would inevitably invite the advance of totalitarianism into every weak and unstable area," that’s what Kennedy warned us about. "Thus, our own security," he said, "would be endangered and our prosperity imperiled."

Well, just substitute violent, religious extremism and the current insurgencies across the world for totalitarianism and the quote is as accurate today as it was then. Just as we did in Marshall’s time and Kennedy’s time, America today has a chance to return to a foreign policy that is not just seen by people everywhere, but is actually felt and lived by people everywhere; one that translates the rhetoric into real values on the ground and real progress on the ground, and thusly, earns the respect of people because we do keep our word.

The good news is that just as we rebuild our civilian institutions, there are going to be extraordinary chances to lead in the process. We are living in the moment of volatility that I described earlier. But let me tell you emphatically and with optimism: this is a moment of enormous possibility for global cooperation, for the transformation of our economies, and for dealing with the issues that aren’t rocket science in their demands for resolution. They are mostly a challenge to political will and to leadership.

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