London
United Kingdom
~ Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Thank you, Dr. [Robin] Niblett, for that kind introduction;
for your leadership here at the Royal Institute of International Affairs; and
for your lifetime of dedicated work in the service of international cooperation
and global security. I also want to
thank Prime Minister [David] Cameron and the members of Her Majesty’s
government for their hospitality during my visit to the United Kingdom. And I’d like to thank this group of
distinguished colleagues, inspiring leaders and devoted public servants for
participating in this important conversation.
It’s a privilege to join you here today as we honor the unique bond
between our nations; as we reaffirm the cherished values and ideals that we
share; and as we rededicate ourselves to building the stronger, safer, and more
united world for which we have fought together in the past, and toward which we
continue to strive today.
The United Kingdom and the United States have long been
close partners and staunch allies and the connection between us – which Winston
Churchill referred to as our “special relationship” – is one with deep roots
and a rich history. Almost all of
America’s founders proudly considered themselves Englishmen and many were
hesitant to shed that honorable title, even after the start of the American
Revolution. And the revolution itself –
though it pitted us against one another in armed conflict – was inspired by the
ideals of the British Enlightenment: responsive government, robust rights and
liberties, and the fundamental equality of all people.
Those ideals have been a source of mutual understanding and
shared strength ever since – and while they have been threatened by injustice
within our nations and hostility from beyond our shores, they have continued
not only to endure, but to expand.
Through the courageous struggles of prominent leaders and humble
citizens; of freed slaves and former colonial subjects; of suffragists, ethnic
minorities, religious dissenters and gay and lesbian advocates – we have
extended the rights of liberty, equality and justice. Through the tremendous courage and sacrifice
of our countrymen –in two World Wars, in battlefields of Korea and today in the
skies over Syria and Iraq– we have defended our beliefs against tyranny and
oppression. And together, we have come
to the aid of others inspired by the principles that we share.
Today, the values that have guided and defined us for
centuries are facing a persistent threat: the rise of global terrorism and
extremism – a scourge that has inflicted its pain on both of our nations in the
recent past. Ten years ago, this great
city endured devastating attacks on its public transportation system, and you
suffered another attack in the Underground only this week. In the United States, as you know, we have
also suffered terrorist attacks and we are currently investigating last week’s
tragic shootings in California as an act of terror. And as recent events in Paris, Beirut, and
Mali remind us, we are far from alone in being targeted by these agents of
violence. These attacks are carried out
with a single, repugnant purpose: to harm, frighten and intimidate anyone who
believes in open and tolerant societies; in free and democratic governments;
and in the right of every human being to live in peace, security and
freedom. As two nations who serve as
beacons of those ideals to people around the world, we have a special
responsibility to take on this terrorist threat, and to prevent it from causing
the destruction it is so desperate to inflict.
As Attorney General of the United States, my highest
priorities are the security of our country and the safety of the American
people. At the Department of Justice, we
are working tirelessly to uncover and disrupt plots that take aim not only at
the United States, but at nations around the world. We are acting aggressively to defuse threats
as they emerge. And we are vigorously
investigating and prosecuting individuals who seek to harm innocent
people. To stop plots before they can be
brought to fruition, we are going after individuals engaged in preparatory
activities like fundraising, recruitment, planning and training. Our approach has yielded important results:
since 2013, we have charged more than 70 individuals for conduct related to
foreign terrorist fighter interests and homegrown violent extremism and we
continue to take action designed to monitor and thwart potential extremist
activity.
But no nation can fight terrorism alone. As our world continues to grow more
interconnected and interdependent, cooperation and joint action are more
essential than ever to combating cross-border threats like terrorism,
cybercrime, corruption and human trafficking.
And while modern technology has helped to widen the circle of opportunity
for so many citizens around the globe, it has also provided new channels that
criminals can exploit for their own ends.
Online, violent ideologies can rapidly proliferate and spread and
threats can leap borders and oceans in an instant. No nation can exist in a bubble of isolation;
no country can imagine themselves immune from world events; and the security of
each state increasingly depends on the security of all states. The words of four centuries past ring ever
true today, “no man is an island entire of itself.” In this environment, our strategic
understanding and our common humanity demand that we supplement nationwide
vigilance with international cooperation.
That is why the United States is working with organizations
like INTERPOL and EUROPOL to share information on foreign fighters. It’s why we have provided resources,
including FBI agents, to support INTERPOL’s Fusion Cell, which investigates the
training, financing, methods and motives of terrorist groups around the
world. And it is why we have crafted
information-sharing agreements with more than 45 international partners to
identify and track suspected terrorists – a partnership that has now provided
INTERPOL with approximately 4,000 profiles on foreign terrorist fighters. From efforts to degrade terrorist
capabilities, to building cooperative networks that help to preserve and share
information and evidence after an attack, we are demonstrating our deep
commitment to collaboration worldwide.
Let me give one example of how critical it is that we work
together. Terrorists, like other
criminals, count on the difficulties that law enforcement agencies have in
sharing information across borders – difficulties that are magnified now that
electronic information may be stored in many different countries and may
quickly disappear. But starting some
years ago, criminal justice experts from the U.S., the UK, France and the other
G7 countries created the 24/7 cyber network – a rapid reaction system that now
links approximately 70 countries. Thanks
to that system, after the recent horrific attacks in Paris, French
investigators were able to work immediately with the U.S. Department of Justice
and with U.S. Internet Service Providers, to preserve data from social media
accounts and webpages identified as connected to the attacks, and to seek
emergency disclosures to protect lives.
It is this kind of innovative thinking about international information
sharing that we need to increase.
Of course, it is also important to emphasize that our
efforts to fight terrorism must always be compatible with safeguarding privacy
and civil liberties – exactly as the 24/7 cyber system is designed to be. Often, in conversations like this one, there
is an implicit assumption that our safety must be balanced against our rights
and our values; that there is a necessary trade-off between the hopeful
optimism of our ideals and the cold reality of our national security. But the view that we must abdicate our values
to maintain our security presents a false choice. Rather, our security exists to protect our
values, because they are the wellspring of all that we are. Progress within our nations has always been
driven by our desire to live up to our ideals – of inclusiveness and
opportunity, of equal rights and equal justice – and if we curb those rights in
a misguided bid for short-term security, we betray not only our ancestors; not
only ourselves; and not only our children – but all those for whom the United
States and the United Kingdom represent the possibility of a better, freer
future.
In this regard, I am proud to say that the Obama
Administration, with the support of Congress, has made the protection of civil
liberties and privacy a priority in the fight against terrorism. The record is a remarkable one: President
Obama has created unprecedented transparency regarding our guidelines for
collection and use of signals intelligence, including signals intelligence
collected in bulk. The President
nominated and the senate has confirmed, an independent Privacy and Civil
Liberties Oversight Board, as envisioned by Congress. And just last week, independent public
advocates were appointed to advise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court,
as called for by the USA Freedom Act.
Moreover, in all of these efforts, as President Obama has
made clear, our goal is to extend privacy protections not only to U.S.
citizens, but to foreign nationals as well.
That is why, after years of negotiation, I am very happy to say that we
were able to initial in September the U.S./EU “Umbrella” Data Privacy and
Protection Agreement regarding law enforcement information. And it is why – in a truly unprecedented step
– the Administration has supported legislation to extend judicial redress
rights to foreign nationals for privacy breaches regarding law enforcement
information – legislation that, thanks to strong Congressional support, already
has passed our House of Representatives, and is now pending in the Senate.
These actions are not only unprecedented, but reflective of
the United States’ deep commitment to the principles they protect, as well as
the importance of our relationship with our European partners in this
struggle. That is why it is particularly
disappointing that the European Court of Justice – in a case based on
inaccurate and outdated media reports – recently struck down the Safe Harbor
Agreement in the Schrems decision. And
it is highly concerning to us that data privacy legislation advancing in the
European Parliament might further restrict transatlantic information sharing –
a step that not only ignores the critical need for that information sharing to
fight terrorism and transnational crime, but also overlooks the enormous steps
forward that the Obama Administration and Congress have taken to protect
privacy. It is important that all of us
– on both sides of the Atlantic – work to set the record straight regarding our
commitment to protect not only the safety of our citizens, but also their civil
liberties and privacy.
But one thing I am confident of in our work on these issues
and in the larger fight against terrorism – we will not lose ourselves to
fear. We will respond to this and other
threats the way we know best – by reaffirming the very ideals that distinguish
us from those who wish us harm: freedom of speech; religious tolerance; the
open exchange of ideas; and government that represents the will of its
people. These are the principles of
Runnymede and Philadelphia, of the Glorious Revolution and the American
Revolution – the principles that we have risen to defend time and again and
emerged victorious. For centuries, these
ideals have inspired countless men and women around the world to seek the
better life that is the promise of humanity and to demand that the elemental
dignity of all mankind be recognized and respected. And we must keep their promise alive.
There is no doubt that we come together at a time of
uncertainty, facing dangerous threats and determined adversaries. But in this moment of global challenge, we
remain dedicated to the task that remains before us and to the work that so
many have given their last full measure of devotion to fulfill. Our nations may have been bloodied, but we
will remain unbowed – in defense of our citizens, in solidarity with our allies
and in allegiance to the values that make us who we are.
The road ahead will not always be easy. We will encounter more times of uncertainty
and setbacks. But as we move forward in
the work that will secure our homelands and prove our principles once more, we
are fortified with the strength of our time-tested traditions, by the
partnership of our longstanding allies and by the legacies of the brave men and
women who fought to make our nations everything they are today. I am confident about the road ahead. I know that our promise will endure. And if we can lean on our faith in our enduring
values – and hold fast to our unshakeable belief in the cause of justice and
the rule of law – then I have no doubt that out of a long and difficult night
of challenge, a brighter day will come.
Thank you.
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