HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — President Bush yesterday challenged international leaders to create a new world order, declaring pre-September 11 multilateralism outmoded and asserting that freedom from terrorism will come only through pre-emptive action against enemies of democracy.
In his first major foreign-policy speech since his re-election, the president set out an expansive second-term agenda with three distinct goals: reforming multilateral institutions, prosecuting the war on terrorism and spreading democracy in the Middle East.
But even as Mr. Bush urged a new effort by free nations to join forces, he criticized the multilateral process that splintered as his administration moved toward war in the absence of action by the United Nations against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
“The success of multilateralism is measured not merely by following a process, but by achieving results,” Mr. Bush said. “The objective of the U.N. and other institutions must be collective security, not endless debate.”
The president, who was seated near Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, did not bring up the United States’ disagreement with Canada over the U.S.-led Iraq war or chastise other nations that opposed the pre-emptive strike on Saddam, such as France, Germany or Russia.
But one day after declaring in Ottawa that Americans on Election Day had endorsed the Bush administration’s foreign policy and its doctrine — which calls for pre-emptive action against states that harbor or aid terrorists — the president had a clear message for the rest of the world.
“Defense alone is not a sufficient strategy,” he said. “There is only one way to deal with enemies who plot in secret and set out to murder the innocent and the unsuspecting: We must take the fight to them.”
The president declared that multilateralism has, of late, resulted in little action. Although he vowed to make an effort to build coalitions with foreign powers, he said those efforts must be geared toward results.
“My country is determined to work as far as possible within the framework of international organizations, and we’re hoping that other nations will work with us to make those institutions more relevant and more effective in meeting the unique threats of our time,” he said.
While applauding Canada’s expansive military role in the world, with its peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti, Sudan, Cyprus and the Middle East, Mr. Bush recalled Canada’s pre-emptive entry into World War II, noting, “Some Canadians argued that Canada had not been attacked and had no interest in fighting a distant war.”
The Canadian prime minister echoed Mr. Bush’s view of the post-September 11 world, saying the terrorist attacks on America “have redefined many realities in the world and on our own continent.”
“We’re in a war against terrorism, and we are in it together, Americans and Canadians. … Together we have come to realize that the world is indeed smaller since 9/11. It’s more complex, perilous, more challenging,” Mr. Martin said.
Both leaders called for renewed efforts in prosecuting the war on terrorism.
“In the new era the threat is different, but our duties are the same. Our enemies have declared their intentions — and so have we. Peaceful nations must keep the peace by going after the terrorists,” Mr. Bush said.
He also called on all free nations to become more involved in spreading democracy in the Middle East.