I hope you will find in us a sense not only of where Africa is, but where we all hope it is going in the future. It is fundamentally a new era in world affairs. The Cold War is over. The Soviet Union is gone. The nuclear arms race has been shifted into reverse.
Democracy is on the march.
Global commerce is expanding. Certainly, we face new threats, from weapons proliferation to violent ethnic conflict. But you know as I do that the winds of change are blowing again across Africa as well. Today I want to offer a few thoughts on the nature of these changes, and how our Administration plans to address them. I believe the most important change for Africa's long-term prospects is the Continent's new progress toward democracy.