We exercise this leadership not out of sentiment, but out of necessity. For we Americans want to live, and we want our children to live, in peace, prosperity and freedom. But as the new century draws near, we cannot guarantee these blessings for ourselves if others do not have them as well. One way to make progress towards that goal is to promote the rule of law. And this evening, I would like to discuss our efforts to do precisely that.
Law is a theme that ties together the broad goals of our foreign policy.
It is at the heart of virtually everything we do at the Department of State from the negotiation of arms control treaties to seeking a fair deal for our salmon fishermen to guaranteeing that the intellectual property rights of our software companies are protected. And one of the great lessons we have learned is that the rule of law and global prosperity go hand in hand. Five years ago, in this city, President Clinton brought together for the first time the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation council. Those leaders agreed to pursue economic rules of the game that would bring down barriers to trade, increase investment, promote growth and open new opportunities from Seattle to Singapore and from Santiago to Seoul. There followed, in our country, a period of sustained growth that has created record numbers of jobs, boosted wages and enabled our people to look forward with confidence and hope.