Chuck Hagel: “for those estimated 2.3 million Americans who have lost their jobs over the past 3 years, and for those worried about…”

“for those estimated 2.3 million Americans who have lost their jobs over the past 3 years, and for those worried about keeping their jobs, economic policy is not about abstract discussions or theoretical debates. It is about finding and keeping steady work at a decent wage. It is about affordable health care, buying a home, and sending their children to college. We live in a time of dramatic historical change, a transformational period. The byproducts of such change are uncertainty, complications, instability, and danger, as well as vast opportunities. America today, as at the end of World War II, is in a position to lead and shape the direction of this 21st century change. America's economic security and prosperity cannot be separated from our leadership of the global economy. During periods of uncertainty and change, some Americans seek refuge in an insular political tradition that, in the past, has contributed to isolationism at home and instability abroad. After World War I, America pursued an isolationist foreign and trade policy that resulted in a weakened international order that led to World War II. In contrast, after World War II, America's leaders laid the foundation for the World Trade Organization and a new global political and economic order. As a result, America and much of the world have enjoyed historic peace and prosperity for more than 50 years.”