The Hon. Alexander Downer, MP
The Hon. Alexander Downer, MP
 FORMER MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA

Speech

To the World Affairs Council, Los Angeles
19 January 2004

Meeting the Challenges of a Changing Regional and Global Security Outlook

(Check against delivery)

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…

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…

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 agreedwith 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.

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.

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