Secretary of State Rice on American Realism
"There is not one challenge in the world today that will get better if we approach it without confidence in the appeal and effectiveness of our ideals -- political and economic freedom, open markets and free trade, human dignity and human rights, equal opportunity and the rule of law. Without these principles, backed by all forms of national power, we may be able to manage global problems for awhile, but we will not lay a foundation to solve them. This is the core of America’s approach to the world. We do not accept a firm distinction between our national interests and our universal ideals, and we seek to marry our power and our principles together to achieve great and enduring progress. This American approach to the world …is as old as America itself. I have referred to this tradition as American Realism."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Jaunary 23, 2008
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In Focus
U.S. Pledges $3.25 M for Burma, Stands Ready to Do More
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The U.S. has pledged $3.25 million for relief efforts in Burma, but to date the Burmese regime has not permitted the U.S. or most agencies access to the country to conduct assessments |
and to begin bringing aid to the areas hit hardest by Cyclone Nargis on May 2. "The United States has made an initial aid contribution, but we want to do a lot more," President Bush said May 6. "In order to do so, the military junta must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country." Bringing in the aid to Burma is about saving lives and not about politics, according to State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, “and it should be a matter that the government of Burma wants to see its people receive the help that is available to them.” Of the $3.25-M U.S. pledge to aid Burma, USAID has provided an initial $250,000 through the U.N. agencies, while $1 million will be coursed through the American Red Cross.
Read More:
U.S. Provides $3.25 Million to Aid Burma Cyclone Victims
Burma Aid Is About Saving Lives, Not Politics, Rice Says
First Lady on U.S. Aid to Burma After Cyclone
President Bush Signs H.R. 4286, honoring Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with a Congressional Gold Medal
USAID Disaster Assistance : Burma
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Hospital Ship -- USNS Mercy -- to Visit
the Philippines
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The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy will be in select locations in Samar and Mindanao from late May through mid-June to support medical, dental, veterinary assistance programs. |
Sailors from the ships will also conduct construction and repair projects ashore, while the U.S. Pacific Fleet band will perform in various Philippine public places. “The mission of the USNS Mercy is all about partnerships -- with local NGOs, with Philippine health care professionals, with the local government officials, with the Armed Forces, and with the people of the communities who will host the Mercy and her crew,” U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney said. Full text
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U.S. Report Notes Philippines’ Successes Fighting Terrorists in 2007 Day
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The Philippine government scored “numerous successes against terrorists” last year, according to the U.S. Department of State’s latest report assessing the status of the |
anti-terrorism efforts worldwide. The Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 noted that among these successes were the arrest of 38 Abu Sayyaf members and the killing of 127 others, the effective use of rewards programs to target terrorist groups, the passage of the anti-terrorism Human Security Act, and the establishment of interagency intelligence fusion centers to support maritime interdictions against transnational criminal/terrorist organizations and a "Coast Watch" system in Mindanao. The report also noted that the American Embassy in Manila “received excellent cooperation from Philippine law enforcement officials” in getting access to witnesses for FBI interviews, and access to criminal and related records through the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. Full text
For the transcript of the April 30 briefing on the release of the Country Reports on Terrorism 2007, click here. |
Significance of the Role of the Media, World Press Freedom Day
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One of the biggest challenges to press freedom includes censorship, reporters being forced to reveal confidential sources and the brutalizing and killing of journalists, media professionals tell America.gov. Simon Reeve, |
a British best-selling author and broadcaster, said World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3, marks the “very real physical risks journalists in the developing world take when investigating contentious stories,” and the “professional risks that journalists take in the developed world when they work on unfashionable issues that deserve wider exposure.” Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor and Publisher magazine, says declining respect for journalists could lead to more rights being taken away from reporters. The lack of esteem, he said, stems in part from perceived media bias on a particular political issue. Another major concern is the prospect that print newspapers eventually could become extinct as newspapers move to online news. Full text |
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Read the Philippines
portion in the following U.S. Government Annual Reports:
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Arms To Farms (streaming
video)
In the southern Philippines' Mindanao region,
thousands of former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF) have made the transition from fighting to peaceful and
productive civilian lives. "Arms to Farms" profiles four former MNLF
rebels and shows how USAID's LEAP program enabled them to reap the
benefits of their choice of peace over war. |
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Ambassador Kristie Kenney shops for fresh produce at the Northern Mindanao Vegetable Producers Association (NorMinVeggies) Consolidation Center in Cagayan de Oro. USAID assists NorMinVeggies to increase the export of fruits and vegetables from Mindanao to Cebu and Manila. Ambassador Kenney also participated in the April 30 Strong Republic Nautical Highway Conference hosted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visited American businesses in the city. (Click the picture to view the photo gallery.)
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Ambassador Kristie Kenney (second, right) and Philippine Senator Richard Gordon (right) join Hawaiian Airlines president and chief executive Mark Dunkerley (second left) and Ninoy Aquino International Airport manager for development Tirso Serrano (left) in welcoming guests and well-wishers at the arrival of Hawaiian Airlines’ maiden flight to Manila on April 15. The airline will provide the only non-stop carrier service between Manila and Honolulu. “I am hopeful that with Hawaiian Airlines offering more travel options, more Hawaiian visitors will take advantage of the opportunity to visit the Philippines and experience the country’s unique attractions,” the Ambassador said in her remarks. (Click the picture to view the photo gallery.)
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U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney (left) and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (second, left) stand at attention as the American and Philippine national anthems are played at the 66th-year commemoration of the Day of Valor, a day honoring the heroism of Filipino and American soldiers who defended the Bataan peninsula during World War II in the Philippines. (Click the picture to view the photo gallery.)
U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney (right) and Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap (second, left) along with Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali (left) and Tawi-Tawi Nur Jaafar (second, right) cut the ribbon inaugurating Tawi-Tawi’s 30-meter Lato-Lato Boat Landing facility prior to proceeding to Lato-Lato’s multi-species fish hatchery. Both facilities were constructed with U.S. assistance in partnership with the Philippine government and private sector organizations. (Click the picture to view the photo gallery)
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Ambassador Kristie Kenney gets a close look at a rice
variety being grown in the experimental farm of the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice) in northern Luzon's Nueva Ecija Province.
Since the 1990s, PhilRice has helped develop more than 80 high-yielding,
good-tasting, and pest- and disease-resistant rice varieties for various
farm conditions. During the March 11 trip to the Science City of Munoz,
the Ambassador also visited the Philippine Carabao Center, the 18-year old
government research agency that focuses on conserving and propagating the
carabao not just as the farmer's main work animal, but also as major
source of high quality milk and hide. (Click the picture to view the photo
gallery)
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