crossroad
July 28th, 2006, 05:51 AM
From the Herald:
"Where do you want the world to go in the 21st century? How could we get there? Who’s supposed to do it?"
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton posed these three simple questions to the crowd of more than 5,000 gathered at the Halifax Metro Centre Wednesday night.
With the trio of questions as guideposts, Mr. Clinton, considered by many as one of the world’s top speakers, swung through a cluster of topics which included terrorism, climate change and energy during a 45-minute keynote speech for the Canadian-American Relations Conference.
His vision of where the world should go in the next 100 years is one modelled after the relationship between Canada and the United States.
"We are completely interdependent," the 59-year-old Rhodes Scholar said. "We think about our neighbours rather than our own tribe."
In terms of how to get there, Mr. Clinton suggested that a global security strategy was needed to deal with challenges such as avian flu and global warming.
"All these things affect all of us," he said, adding that if these kinds of problems aren’t fixed, the consequences will be hunger, war and more terrorism.
The way to fix them, Mr. Clinton said, is not just in the hands of government, but in the hands of everyday people.
"An enormous amount of the problems the world faces can be solved by citizens," he said, giving his recent efforts in raising relief funds as an example. Using the Internet as a fundraising tool, Mr. Clinton and his predecessor, George H. W. Bush, raised billions of dollars for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and hurricane Katrina.
For Mr. Clinton, the Internet’s power has "staggering implications" of what ordinary people of modest means can do for others.
"The capacity of the private citizen to do public good is greater than ever before," he said.
Mr. Clinton also used his speech to express appreciation for Canada’s counter-terrorism efforts and praised the country’s role in Afghanistan.
"I am grateful for your service and sacrifice there," he said.
As for the future of the Canada-U.S. partnership, Mr. Clinton said there would be times when the nations would butt heads. Although he didn’t mention free trade, he did acknowledge past tensions over issues such as timber, wheat and salmon.
These conflicts, however, have never meant a breakdown in the cross-border friendship, he said.
"Our interests are always converging and need to be reconciled," said Mr. Clinton. "Divorce is not an option."
Following the speech, Mr. Clinton sat down with Frank McKenna, who served as Canada’s ambassador in Washington from 2005 to 2006, for a question and answer period.
Highlights of the discussion included Mr. Clinton’s views on the current crisis between Israel and Lebanon. He said the first step was to get both sides talking for the sake of the civilians caught in the middle.
"We’ve got to try to move now to get a ceasefire," he said, adding that he felt an international force will be necessary to bring stability to the region.
When asked about the U.S. presence in Iraq, Mr. Clinton said it was a mistake to take action before United Nations weapons inspectors had finished their work. The answer sparked applause from the audience.
On Afghanistan and terrorism, Mr. Clinton again commended Canada for doing an "astonishing job," but said the best way to solve these problems was by building partners around the world, instead of making enemies.
"What we need is less talk about Armageddon and more talk about common sense," he said.
He did not say, however, that the road ahead for Canadians, especially when it comes to Afghanistan, would be an easy one.
"You can’t go there without casualties," he said. "As awful as this is, it’s not nearly as bad as it would be if we all left."
The night took a brief comical turn when Mr. McKenna asked Mr. Clinton how he felt about Sunday shopping in Nova Scotia. Mr. Clinton said all he hoped for was that he’d be able to do some shopping and support the local economy.
Mr. Clinton will spend at least one more day in Nova Scotia, attending a golf tournament hosted by Mr. McKenna at Fox Harb’r in Wallace.
But before he left his audience in Halifax, he asked them to consider one further question about the world they live in before heading home.
"What can I do?"
( peverest@herald.ca)
"Where do you want the world to go in the 21st century? How could we get there? Who’s supposed to do it?"
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton posed these three simple questions to the crowd of more than 5,000 gathered at the Halifax Metro Centre Wednesday night.
With the trio of questions as guideposts, Mr. Clinton, considered by many as one of the world’s top speakers, swung through a cluster of topics which included terrorism, climate change and energy during a 45-minute keynote speech for the Canadian-American Relations Conference.
His vision of where the world should go in the next 100 years is one modelled after the relationship between Canada and the United States.
"We are completely interdependent," the 59-year-old Rhodes Scholar said. "We think about our neighbours rather than our own tribe."
In terms of how to get there, Mr. Clinton suggested that a global security strategy was needed to deal with challenges such as avian flu and global warming.
"All these things affect all of us," he said, adding that if these kinds of problems aren’t fixed, the consequences will be hunger, war and more terrorism.
The way to fix them, Mr. Clinton said, is not just in the hands of government, but in the hands of everyday people.
"An enormous amount of the problems the world faces can be solved by citizens," he said, giving his recent efforts in raising relief funds as an example. Using the Internet as a fundraising tool, Mr. Clinton and his predecessor, George H. W. Bush, raised billions of dollars for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and hurricane Katrina.
For Mr. Clinton, the Internet’s power has "staggering implications" of what ordinary people of modest means can do for others.
"The capacity of the private citizen to do public good is greater than ever before," he said.
Mr. Clinton also used his speech to express appreciation for Canada’s counter-terrorism efforts and praised the country’s role in Afghanistan.
"I am grateful for your service and sacrifice there," he said.
As for the future of the Canada-U.S. partnership, Mr. Clinton said there would be times when the nations would butt heads. Although he didn’t mention free trade, he did acknowledge past tensions over issues such as timber, wheat and salmon.
These conflicts, however, have never meant a breakdown in the cross-border friendship, he said.
"Our interests are always converging and need to be reconciled," said Mr. Clinton. "Divorce is not an option."
Following the speech, Mr. Clinton sat down with Frank McKenna, who served as Canada’s ambassador in Washington from 2005 to 2006, for a question and answer period.
Highlights of the discussion included Mr. Clinton’s views on the current crisis between Israel and Lebanon. He said the first step was to get both sides talking for the sake of the civilians caught in the middle.
"We’ve got to try to move now to get a ceasefire," he said, adding that he felt an international force will be necessary to bring stability to the region.
When asked about the U.S. presence in Iraq, Mr. Clinton said it was a mistake to take action before United Nations weapons inspectors had finished their work. The answer sparked applause from the audience.
On Afghanistan and terrorism, Mr. Clinton again commended Canada for doing an "astonishing job," but said the best way to solve these problems was by building partners around the world, instead of making enemies.
"What we need is less talk about Armageddon and more talk about common sense," he said.
He did not say, however, that the road ahead for Canadians, especially when it comes to Afghanistan, would be an easy one.
"You can’t go there without casualties," he said. "As awful as this is, it’s not nearly as bad as it would be if we all left."
The night took a brief comical turn when Mr. McKenna asked Mr. Clinton how he felt about Sunday shopping in Nova Scotia. Mr. Clinton said all he hoped for was that he’d be able to do some shopping and support the local economy.
Mr. Clinton will spend at least one more day in Nova Scotia, attending a golf tournament hosted by Mr. McKenna at Fox Harb’r in Wallace.
But before he left his audience in Halifax, he asked them to consider one further question about the world they live in before heading home.
"What can I do?"
( peverest@herald.ca)