Clinton declares our interdependence

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CLINTON DECLARES OUR INTERDEPENDENCE

December 4, 2005

When former President Clinton gave a call for action during a speech at Butler University last month, five Y-Press members were there to hear it. Here are their thoughts.

Y-Press first encountered Bill Clinton in 1992, during his first presidential campaign. He was making an appearance in Louisville, and our reporters and editors tracked him down at a rally there. When they approached him, he invited one of them, Ben Young, to interview him during a ride to the airport, and off they went.

Then as now, Clinton was a gracious man with a good sense of humor. In his speech last month in Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University, he used wit and charm to get across his point that the United States must start seeing itself as a partner with the rest of the world, not its boss.

Interdependence is the key to solving some of the intractable problems we have today, such as poverty, terrorism, corrupt and abusive governments, and global climate change, he said.

Jordan Denari, 15

lobalization usually refers to the flow of goods and resources across borders by various technological means. It not only includes the broad reach of McDonald's restaurants and "Harry Potter" movies but the gush of information over the Internet.

Former President Clinton prefers the term "interdependence" to refer to the state of the world today. "We are globalized by more than economics," he said, noting that world events such as a tsunami or earthquake affect all countries, not just those in which they occur.

"There is no more stunning example of global interdependence than the attack on the United States on September the 11th, 2001. Three planes hit their targets, and they killed 3,000 people from 70 countries, including more than 200 Muslims," he said.

Interdependence, to Clinton, refers to how nations affect one another. Even the United States needs other countries, not only to provide us with resources that we lack and to buy the goods that we make, but also to work with us on global problems and challenges. "There's very little we can do alone," he stated.

But some major problems inhibit interdependence. According to Clinton, the most crucial problems today are terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. He suggested that we form a plan to disband al-Qaida and finish our job in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as bolster U.S. national security. However, this might not be sufficient. "A security strategy is not enough; therefore we need a world with more partners and less enemies," he said.

Another impediment to interdependence is corrupt and abusive governments, he said. The recent genocides in Darfur and the former Yugoslavia, as well as in other areas, occurred because of tyrannous regimes. Clinton believes we must work for democracy and transparency to subdue corruption and abuse within nations.

Poverty also is an obstacle to global interdependence, according to Clinton. Worldwide, more than 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, and one-quarter of the deaths on Earth are from AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria or diarrhea-related illnesses. "The good news is, we know how to raise people out of poverty and fight diseases," he said.

Clinton's last challenge to interdependence is global climate change. Global warming causes sea levels to rise and fertile growing areas to decrease. Harsh living conditions and scarce resources divide nations, not unite them. Clinton suggests use of alternate energy sources, such as wind and solar power, to reduce these threats.

Though many obstacles stand in the way of global interdependence, President Clinton feels confident. He's heartened that more than half of the world's people live in a democracy, that the Internet allows much greater access to information around the globe, and that more non-governmental organizations are doing good work in even the most remote regions.

"Whenever you have the power to do some good, you have the responsibility to do it. You have that power, and I urge you to use it," he said.

Keenen Brannon, 11

resident Clinton said global climate change is a threat to the interdependence of countries. The world's reliance on fossil fuels -- especially some countries' use of cars -- is causing the climate to change. This can cause droughts and floods, which can lead to famine and disease. Affected countries can become unstable and possible sources of conflict.

According to Clinton, the climate is already changing. He explained that, during the last decade, the world has had nine of the 10 hottest years on record. In addition, the Arctic ice caps melted more in the last year than any other year before, he said.

This amazes me. Even though I saw the movie "The Day After Tomorrow," which showed climate destruction all over the world, I had no idea that these kinds of changes could really happen.

Many countries take these threats seriously. Most industrial nations, except the United States and Australia, support the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for nations to reduce the amount of emissions they release into the air by 2012.

Clinton criticized the Bush administration's failure to sign the Kyoto accords, saying it shows a lack of support for the rest of the world. Americans can do more, too, such as cut back on fuels that cause pollution and develop alternative fuels, such as solar and wind power.

Alternative fuels are more expensive now because it costs a lot of money to develop the technology to use them. But they are effective. Ethanol, for example, reduces emissions of carbon monoxide by 40 percent, particulate matter by 20 percent and sulfate by 80 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

I believe the expense of figuring out how to use these new power sources is worth it if it helps mankind live. We have to work together to stop global climate change.

Kids need to become better informed about issues like this because climate changes are going to affect us. Kids are curious and like a creative challenge, so it's an issue that should interest many of us.

Steven Thompson, 14

he United States should invest more money to help the poor around the world, said President Clinton. This stuck with me because I believe we all have the responsibility to help the poor.

The U.S. is a rich country. According to the CIA World Factbook, 12 percent of our population lives below the poverty line, compared to 86 percent in Zambia and 68 percent in Sierra Leone, to name two poor countries in Africa. Similarly, life expectancy figures for these countries, as charted by the United Nations, vary widely, from an average lifespan of 77 years in the United States to 32 years in Zambia and 34 years in Sierra Leone.

There are many causes of poverty: War, unchecked population growth and environmental disasters are a few. According to Clinton, the U.S. knows how to reduce poverty -- through trade and aid. We also know how to fight the diseases that kill people. But our current level of poverty relief hasn't kept pace with the increase in need worldwide, he said.

We need to help the poor because it is the right thing to do. Also, it will improve our reputation in the world. Clinton said that a poll in Indonesia before the tsunami showed that only 36 percent of the people there approved of the U.S., compared to 60 percent after the tsunami.

There's a lot you can do. You can find a foundation that does mission work and volunteer or make a donation. You also can donate to causes in your own community that help the poor.

Kids can help, too. They can donate some of their time and spare change to some of these groups or get together with a school or church group or take up a collection of food and clothes.

We can be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. Which will you be?

Meera Patel, 14

resident Clinton says the United States needs to make more friends in the world and fewer enemies. He criticized the invasion of Iraq in defiance of the United Nations, our refusal to adhere to the provisions of the Geneva Convention that maintain that all prisoners should be treated humanely, and our rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, which would require nations to reduce pollution levels.

I see the U.S. foreign policy as hypocritical. For example, we expect other countries to treat prisoners humanely, but we don't do so ourselves. We also don't want other countries to develop nuclear weapons but refuse to promise that we won't use ours in response to a non nuclear attack.

Right now, many countries aren't very fond of us, largely due to the war in Iraq and conflict in Afghanistan. But when we go out of our way to help countries in need, such as Indonesia, we are popular once again.

There are many things that the U.S. could do better. Some things President Clinton suggests are promoting democracy around the world, investing in poor countries and aiding the needy, securing our borders and establishing representative governments in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It's not possible in an interdependent world to kill, assail or occupy all of your actual or potential enemies. So if all you have is security strategy, sooner or later it'll leak and something bad will happen. Therefore, we have to go forward with the intentions of building a world of more partners and fewer enemies," he said.

I think Clinton has the right idea. I believe taking actions to help other countries will in turn make this country a better one.

Stephen Miller, 16

ormer President Clinton has spent much of his adult life in the public eye, both in negative and positive lights. Despite experiencing various peaks and valleys in his career, he remains popular, according to his reception at Hinkle Fieldhouse in November. He is devoting his latest efforts to battle AIDS/HIV and poverty, and to help with disaster relief around the world.

Now a common figure on television, Clinton also is getting to be a familiar face in Indianapolis, with his visit here in November his second this year. Despite starting his speech almost an hour late, he made his entrance to enthusiastic applause. While Indiana may be a "red" state, it was clear the audience held many Clinton supporters.

An amazing orator, Clinton was obviously very passionate about his topic. His speech was punctuated with many facts and statistics, which he presented in a laid-back, yet serious manner. And though he joked about his role in the world -- he said, "The great thing about being a former president is you can say whatever you want to. Of course, nobody cares what you think anymore" -- the audience overwhelmingly took everything he said to heart.

Not only is Clinton still a prominent figure in the political arena and a poignant speaker, he also is an activist for the disenfranchised of the world. His foundation, the Clinton Foundation, is dedicated to fostering interdependence among all peoples, and it has done that by promoting economic initiatives in rundown areas, HIV/AIDS education and treatment, and programs that support racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation. Its offices are in Harlem, in New York City, to encourage that area's revival.

In closing, he urged the crowd, "Do not use your disagreement with any government's policy -- whether you're conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican -- as an excuse for inactivity." Clearly, he's practicing what he preaches.

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