-Caveat Lector- DemocRAT or Republican. Liberal or Conservative. It's all phony. The REAL dichotomy is International Corporate Capitalism and EVERYTHING ELSE. Nurev ===================================================== Sources: Reuters | AP | AP U.S. | ABCNEWS.com Wednesday January 17 12:06 PM ET Powell Outlines Cautious New Foreign Policy By Jonathan Wright WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell laid out a cautious new foreign policy for the United States on Wednesday, based on engagement with the world in line with U.S. ``national interests.'' ``There is no inclination whatsoever to have our nation withdraw from the world into a fortress of protectionism or an island of isolation,'' Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on his appointment. ``We must be involved according to our national interests and not in some haphazard way that seems more dictated by the crisis of the day than by serious, thoughtful foreign policy,'' added Powell, who is expected to take office with President-elect George W. Bush on Saturday. The committee and later the full Senate are expected to give Powell, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, an easy passage toward confirmation. Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat and the committee chairman, said: ``Without question Gen. Powell's experience ... makes him well qualified to be secretary of state, and I have no doubt, general, that you will be confirmed.'' In a 24-page speech prepared for the hearing, Powell endorsed many of the foreign policy initiatives of the outgoing Clinton administration but promised reviews of policy specifically on North Korea, national missile defense, sanctions against Iraq and U.S. forces in the Balkans. Speaking by coincidence on the 10th anniversary of the start of the Gulf War against Iraq, in which the general played a leading part, he noted that President-elect Bush wants to ''re-energize the sanctions regime'' against the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Review Of Balkan Deployments ``We need to be vigilant, ready to respond to provocations, and utterly steadfast in our policy toward Saddam Hussein, and we need to be supportive of opposition efforts,'' he added. Several Bush advisers want the new administration to increase its support for the opposition Iraqi National Congress, to which the Clinton administration gave small amounts of money but no military assistance. On the Balkans, the policy area on which the Bush team have most alarmed Washington's European allies, Powell stepped back from suggestions that Bush would withdraw U.S. forces from Kosovo and Bosnia unilaterally. ``President-elect Bush has promised to look closely at our commitments in the Balkans, with the hope of reducing our troop levels there over time and in consultation with our allies. This will be part of a much more comprehensive review of all of our commitments,'' he said. Biden said he favored the Balkan deployment. ``It would be a serious mistake to withdraw our forces from the Balkans. We should stay the course,'' he said. The general, whose policy hallmark has been his opposition to deploying U.S. forces on too many marginal peacekeeping missions, said the U.S. military was unique in its mobility and ability to apply decisive force wherever it wants. ``Tying down such forces is often imprudent. We need to consider these points whenever we feel the need to use our armed forces for peace operations that promise long or undetermined duration,'' he added. China A Competitor Powell broke little new ground on either Russia or China -- the two big powers which most preoccupy the United States. He described China as ``a competitor and a potential regional rival, but also a trading partner''. ``But China is not an enemy and our challenge is to keep it that way,'' he added. He reiterated Washington's longstanding commitment to the ''one China'' principle, opposed reunification of China and Taiwan by force and promised to provide for Taiwan's defense needs, as Washington has done for many years. On Russia, he said that the relationship could be strong and successful only if Russia pursues domestic reform, establishing the rule of law, rooting out corruption and stopping the proliferation of missile technology. But the Bush administration considers the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty with Russia to be ``no longer relevant to our new strategic framework'' and does not plan to ask the Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The Senate turned the treaty down under Clinton. Powell had stern words for North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, calling him a dictator who fields far more troops than he needs to meet any conceivable threat. Powell's predecessor, outgoing Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met Kim in October as part of a gradual attempt to bring North Korea out of its isolation. ``We will review thoroughly our relationship with the North Koreans, measuring our response by the only criterion that is meaningful -- continued peace and prosperity in the South and in the region,'' Powell said. But he added: ``We are open to a continued process of engagement with the North so long as it addresses political, economic and security concerns.'' The general said the Bush administration would support European attempts to improve defense capabilities ``as long as it strengthens NATO, not weakens it.'' <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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