U.S. LEADERSHIP CRITICAL IN WORLD COMMUNITY

President Clinton's recent trip through Europe and the former Soviet Union illuminates how much the world has changed in a relatively short time frame. It also reminds us that the United States -- as the leader of the free world -- must remain prepared through its foreign policy and military readiness to defend our interests at home and abroad.

When Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. made a trilateral agreement to dismantle 1,800 nuclear warheads in Ukraine (many pointed at the U.S.), democracy took another step forward. We must continue to foster these prospects for continued peace by enabling fledgling democracies in the formerly communist-dominated Eastern Europe to get their political and free market institutions to take root. I believe expanding trade with these new friends would help them accomplish that, and similarly, it would enhance America's economic and political position now and into the future.

I am concerned, however, that the historic events from this NATO Summit could be overshadowed by the restless opinion from other European countries to escalate outside intervention in Bosnia, Croatia, and Yugoslavia. Many of our top military advisors have cautioned that there is little the U.S. can do to end the conflict unless we commit our troops on a massive scale, and I do not support such a move. Anything less would only exacerbate the current situation with the likelihood of more civilian casualties.

I truly believe that it was the policy of a strong defense that finally won the Cold War and led to the demise of communism. I hope that this recent trip was an educational experience for the President, so that in some measure, he will rethink his philosophy of draconian cuts in our nation's military and will work to ensure that our foreign policy objectives are met on a rational, not emotionally-driven basis.