【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 t had 50plus African leaders toWashington to talk about the future of American engagement there. We are deeply engagedin a very, very plex world.
　　But this speech and this moment here at the university and at the center, and the trip that Ijust made to Asia, are meant to underscore that even as we focus on those crises that Iamp。rsquo。ve justlisted and on conflicts that dominate the headlines on a daily basis and demand our leadershipamp。ndash。 even as we do that, we will never forget the longterm strategic imperatives for Americaninterests. As Secretary of State, my job isnamp。rsquo。t just to respond to crises. Itamp。rsquo。s also about definingand seizing the longterm opportunities for the United States. And having just traveled toBurma, Australia, and the Solomon Islands, I can tell you that nowhere are those strategicopportunities clearer or more pelling than in the Asia Pacific.
　　Thatamp。rsquo。s why we are currently negotiating a prehensive and ambitious TransPacificPartnership Agreement that will create thousands of new jobs here in America as well as inother countries, and it will spur this race to the top, not to the bottom. It raises the standardsby which we do business. Thatamp。rsquo。s why weamp。rsquo。re elevating our engagement in multilateralinstitutions, from the ASEAN Regional Forum to the East Asia Summit. And thatamp。rsquo。s why we arerevitalizing our security partnerships with our treaty allies: Japan, Australia, South Korea, andthe Philippines. And thatamp。rsquo。s why we are standing up for the human rights and the fundamentalfreedoms that people in Asia cherish as much as any people in the world.
　　I have no illusions about the challenges, and nor does President Obama. They are plex inthis 21st century, in many ways far more plex than the bipolar, EastWest, Soviet UnionversusWest world amp。ndash。 the Cold War that many of us grew up in. This is far more amp。rsquo。s far more, in many ways, like 19th century and 18th century diplomacy, with statesasserting their interests in different ways and with more economic players in the planet thanwe had in the 20th century with power and with a sense of independence. But what I want toemphasize to you all today is there is a way forward. This is not so daunting that itamp。rsquo。sindescribable as to what we can do.
　　So how do we make our shared vision a reality for the region and ensure that Asia contributesto global peace and prosperity? First, we need to turn todayamp。rsquo。s economic nationalism andfragmentation into tomorrowamp。rsquo。s sustainable growth. I say it all the time: Foreign Policy iseconomic policy, and economic policy is foreign policy. They are one and the same. Thereamp。rsquo。s nodenying that particularly in Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific is an engine of global economic growth, butwe canamp。rsquo。t take that growth for granted.
　　Because what we face something that is really a mon challenge. Across the world, we haveseen a staggering growth in youth populations. At the Africa summit it was just underscored tous there are 700 million people under the age of 30. Weamp。rsquo。ve seen staggering growth in theseyouth populations. And guess what. In the 21st century, in 2020 when everybodyamp。rsquo。s runningaround with a mobile device and everybodyamp。rsquo。s in touch with everybody every day all the time,all of these people are demanding an opportunity. Theyamp。rsquo。re demanding dignity. Andjuxtaposed to their hopes, a cadre of extremists, of resisters, of naysayers are waiting to seducemany of those young people into accepting a dead end. And let me tell you, when people donamp。rsquo。thave a job, when they canamp。rsquo。t get an education, when they canamp。rsquo。t aspire to a better future forthemselves and for their families, when their voices are silenced by draconian laws or violenceand oppression, we have all witnessed the instability that follows.
　　Now happily, many, if not most governments, in Asia are working to present booming youthpopulations with an alternative, with a quality education, with skills for the modern world,with jobs that allow them to build a life and a confidence in their countries. That is part of thereason why the young people in Asia are joining the ranks of the middle class, not the ranks ofviolent extremists. And the fact is that too many countries around the world are struggling toprovide those opportunities. Thereamp。rsquo。s a lack of governance, and we ignore the importance of thiscollective challenge to address the question of failed and failing states in other parts of theworld.
　　In the 21st century, a nationamp。rsquo。s interests and the wellbeing of its people are advanced not justby troops or diplomats, but theyamp。rsquo。re advanced by entrepreneurs, by chief executives ofpanies, by the businesses that are good corporate citizens, by the workers that theyemploy, by the students that they train, and the shared prosperity that they create. That iswhy we are working with partners across the Asia Pacific to maintain and raise standards as weexpand trade and investment by pursuing a prehensive TransPacific Partnershipagreement.
　　Now, the TPP represents really an exciting new chapter in the long history of Americaamp。rsquo。s mutuallybeneficial trade partnerships with the countries of the Asia Pacific. It is a stateoftheart, 21stcentury trade agreement, and it is consistent not just with our shared economic interests, butalso with our shared values. Itamp。rsquo。s about generating growth for our economies and jobs for ourpeople by unleashing a wave of trade, investment, and entrepreneurship. Itamp。rsquo。s about standing upfor our workers, or protecting the environment, and promoting innovation. And itamp。rsquo。s aboutreaching for high standards to guide the growth of this dynamic regional economy. And all ofthat is just plain good for businesses, itamp。rsquo。s good for workers, itamp。rsquo。s good for our economies. Andthatamp。rsquo。s why we must get this again and again to this region amp。ndash。 I canamp。rsquo。t tell you howmany times I went, Mazie, as a senator to the region. And we are