Section 3

Safety for the World is Safety for America

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The second step toward a world that works is safety.  Let me state unequivocally that safety for the world is safety for America, and that America has carried the burden of world safety for too many years.  Despite the heroic efforts of our armed services, our intelligence services, and our military families, the crushing drain on Pentagon resources and the American taxpayer is diverting critically important people, time, energy, and money from the most pressing needs of Americans and of all humanity.  America simply cannot continue to do the job of maintaining global safety alone. 

If you are in the Armed Services, I ask you to stop for a moment. Look into your own heart and ask: “What do I choose the world to look like? How can I treat others as I would be treated myself?” 

Seven World-Regional Security Alliances

For we begin tonight to consider a new regime of cooperative global safety.

First, the United States hereby proposes the establishment of Seven World-Regional Security Alliances.  The standing forces of these alliances will handle aggressive moves by any countries in their areas, where they know one another best.  Each region will control and financially support their forces, and we will insist on built-in checks-and-balances to prevent abuses. 

With American help, and starting with existing regional security structures, we propose that seven World-Regional Security Alliances be created in:

East Asia

South Central Asia

The Middle East

Africa

Europe

North America, and

South America

As a safety measure, should any regional conflict escalate, these Seven World-Regional Alliances would have the authority to request that the United Nations Security Council authorize additional strategic military supporting forces, in which the United States would participate, if asked.

This system will fairly divide both the responsibilities and the costs for global safety, while providing the world community with the legal capacity for intervention, if needed.

Remember, that had a Middle East regional security alliance already been organized in 2003, the United States of America would not still be trapped in the Iraq conflict, because the nations of the Middle East, the United Nations, and the world community might have shouldered the burden. So do not be misled by self-serving talk of terrorists.  Today, I rename so-called terrorists to be merely criminals, to be controlled by effective police work through a cooperative family of nations. 

We Will Only Use Military Force for Our Self-Defense

Second, the United States of America will never relinquish its right to use force - but we will only use force in self-defense, when there is a direct and imminent threat to the safety of our nation.  As President of the United States, I hereby declare that the policy of our nation, immediately and henceforth, will return to this prudent and legal standard for the legitimate use of military force.

Defusing the Threat of Nuclear Weapons

Third, we must defuse the threat of nuclear weapons.  Nuclear weapons have not been used in 61 years. America has fought major wars in Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq since then, without using nuclear weapons.  We have not tested a nuclear weapon in more than 15 years, nor have the other nuclear states used them.

Ask yourself, why? It is because these weapons are now hundreds of times more powerful than the two atomic bombs we dropped on Japan. If ever used again, they would not only destroy millions of lives at the point of impact, they would also destroy countless lives downwind in neighboring countries - including America's friends and allies. 

The disaster at Chernobyl showed us that nuclear fallout is a much greater risk than expected, as 40 to 50 nations have been riddled with cancer deaths because of that single, comparatively small nuclear accident.

Meanwhile, 20 new nations are considering building their own nuclear weapons.  A new global nuclear arms race would be more precarious, psychologically disorienting, and economically even more costly than was nuclear deterrence during the Cold War. Ladies and gentlemen, nuclear weapons have become expensive, strategically useless and risky burdens for the United States. 

This is unacceptable.  We must defuse these new nuclear threats, prudently and quickly.

But, we will not be fools about any of this.  We will show leadership when we negotiate with Russia and other nuclear nations, so that simultaneous worldwide reductions in nuclear forces happen quickly and happen safely.  As a first step, by Executive Order I am fulfilling the laws of the United States of America and our treaty obligations by bringing home all US nuclear weapons to within US territorial borders.

Then, through wise and careful planning, we will join with Russia and the nations of the world for the de-alerting and stepwise removal of 98% of nuclear weapons from active service over three years. 

To make sure that dozens of new nuclear weapons countries do not emerge, my administration will seek ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a new Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, and the full implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Time and again, the vast majority of nations have supported many of these safety measures, only to be stalled in the United Nations Security Council.  For the safety and security of us all, this must change.  Therefore, I will support a change in the United Nations Charter so that a Security Council veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the United Nations General Assembly.

Defusing the threat of dangerous, expensive and strategically useless nuclear weapons will relieve part of the heavy financial burden the United States and other nations carry, for better uses.

I have directed the Secretaries of State and Defense, and our Ambassador at the United Nations, to convene the Security Council for the purpose of forwarding these initiatives, with the nations of the world.