In an address before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday, John Edwards identified global poverty as critical to American national security. In the speech, Edwards proposed an increase of $5 billion in annual foreign assistance and the creation of a cabinet level post to lead an effort which would include the means to “educate every child in the world.”
An excerpt from the speech:
“Any new strategy must include new preventive measures to win the long-term struggle and fuel hope and opportunity. This includes strong and creative diplomacy, and also new efforts to lead the fight against global poverty. I’ve proposed a plan to lead an international effort to educate every child in the world. As president, I would increase foreign assistance by $5 billion a year to make millions of people safer, healthier, and more democratic, and by creating a cabinet-level post to lead this effort.”
The full text of the speech can be found at the Edward’s Campaign website.