Ambassador's Speeches

G.B. American Women's Club celebrates Founder's Day

February 13, 2006

It's a pleasure for me to be with you today as the American Women's Club celebrates its 40th year of service to the Grand Bahama community.  Your club has much to be proud of.  I am very impressed by your scholarship program, which opens up a world of educational opportunity for deserving students.  Nothing we can do will have a greater impact on children's lives.  I am also impressed by the dedication you showed in responding to the hurricanes of the past two years.  So many students have benefited from your largesse through the school books and supplies you have purchased.

Such community spirit is so vital to the health and vitality of a community and it serves as a useful starting point for my topic today: the role of the United States in today's world, specifically in The Bahamas. 

America in the World

We Americans are by nature optimists.  We believe that we can and should make a real difference.  That belief is reflected in the official policies of our government, which drive much of the work of the Embassy.  But more importantly, that belief is easy to see in the many good works of community organizations like this one.  As a people we are ready to take on difficult challenges: as President Kennedy once said, "to bear any burden" to try to make the world a better place.  This is noble but difficult work.

Over a year ago in his second Inaugural Address, President Bush laid out a vision to guide America's leadership in the world.  "It is the policy of the United States," the President said, "to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and every culture with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."  To achieve this bold mission, America needs equally bold diplomacy, a diplomacy that not only reports about the world as it is, but seeks to change the world itself.  Secretary of State Rice has called this mission "transformational diplomacy."  It underlies everything that we do.

The objective of transformational diplomacy is to work with our many partners around the world to build and sustain democratic, well-governed states that will respond to the needs of their people and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.  It is a concept rooted in partnership, not paternalism.  In doing things with people, not for them, we seek to use America's diplomatic power to help foreign citizens better their own lives and to build their own nations and to transform their own futures.     

The United States and The Bahamas

The United States and the Bahamas have already built an extraordinary partnership that works to the mutual benefit of both our countries. 

We already have one of the closest and most successful law enforcement partnerships in the world.  
Our commercial ties run to the billions of dollars as businesses trade with each other and invest in each other's country.
Millions of American tourists visit the Bahamas each year, and tens of thousands of Bahamians visit the United States. 
But our relationship is much more than a government-to-government relationship.  We have a country-to-country, people-to-people relationship.  The bedrock of the relationship between the United States and The Bahamas is -- and will remain -- the close ties between our two peoples.  As Prime Minister Christie has so succinctly noted:  "We are kin".

Strengthening Democracy, Rule of Law, and Human Rights

All successful relationships are built on a firm foundation.  The foundation on which we have built our partnership with The Bahamas is our common respect for -- and commitment to -- democracy, the rule of law and human rights.  As we look to the future, we should aspire to work more closely, together, to strengthen democracy and promote respect for human dignity throughout the world.

Weak democratic institutions are the root cause of most -- if not all -- of the recurring political crises that have plagued the most troubled countries in the Caribbean region.  Haiti offers the clearest example.

The elections held last week present an opportunity for the Haitian people to break free from the cycle of instability and violence that has thwarted every effort to improve their lives.  While the road to electing and inaugurating a new government has been a difficult one, we are working hard with the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and CARICOM to help the Haitians achieve this goal. 

Another country that poses a challenge to the values we both hold dear is Cuba.  From around the world, voices are raised against the repressive behavior of the Castro regime.  The European Union deplored Cuba's crackdown on political dissidents in 2003 and enacted a series of tough sanctions against the government in response.  Human Rights Watch, in its just released annual report, concluded that "Cubans are systematically denied basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, privacy, movement, and due process of law."  The American people and the Bahamian people insist on these freedoms at home.  We would have it no other way.  We should be concerned when our neighbors -- separated by less than 90 miles of sea -- are denied those basic rights.  I would hope that a country such as the Bahamas, which so deeply cherishes free expression, free movement, and due process, would not hesitate to convey to the government of Cuba its belief in these fundamental values.

Our shared commitment to democracy and human rights should not be confined to the Caribbean region, however.  The Bahamas and the United States are both active members of the United Nations, whose Human Rights Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights worldwide.  This year, the United Nations Third Committee condemned the governments of Iran, North Korea, Burma, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and thereby demonstrated the world's solidarity in shining a light on human rights abuses. 

The Bahamas, unfortunately, did not vote in favor of any of those important resolutions, and, in fact, cast one of the deciding votes that blocked discussion of the atrocious human rights situation in Sudan.  It is my hope that the Bahamas will reexamine this position and stand with those oppressed around the world.  For as Rosemary Banks, New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the UN recently observed, "If we could not sponsor resolutions condemning human rights abuses in the General Assembly, there would be no other penalties against governments who terrorize their populations."

Ever Closer Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation

A second area which is a cornerstone of the U.S. relationship with The Bahamas is law enforcement and security cooperation.  Our geographic proximity and the heavy volume of tourist and commercial traffic passing back and forth between our shores makes continued efforts in these areas vitally important.  The relationship between the United States and The Bahamas is already a model for the rest of the region.  We have set the standard for what is possible when two nations work together to defeat criminal organizations, money launderers and terrorists.

Remember back to the 1980s, when as much as 70 percent of the cocaine bound for the U.S. passed through the Bahamas-Jamaica-Cuba vector.  Compare that to today with less than 10 percent using this route and it is clear that our cooperation has achieved dramatic results benefiting both our countries.  Our cooperation through OPBAT is continuing, as we are constantly seeking to improve our capabilities, training, and intelligence and adapt to meet the ever-changing challenges posed by innovative criminal minds.

The Bahamas and the United States also share an interest in protecting our borders from illegal migration.  We work together to patrol the high seas and annually intercept thousands of illegal migrants.

We are also planning to station U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel here in Freeport to work with Bahamian authorities to identify and inspect shipping containers, examining and "pre-clearing" them before they embark for a U.S. port.  As a result, containers will be expedited on arrival in the U.S., making the port in Freeport more attractive for their customers.

In the future, we will continue to support and expand these programs and look for new opportunities to build on the strong partnership that exists between our countries.  Doing so will insure that the Bahamas will not become a haven for criminal organizations, human traffickers or terrorist cells.

Improving Education and Health

More than ever, economic competitiveness relies on a country's most precious resource: its people.  A country that develops not just its financial capital but also its human capital will be well positioned to benefit from today's economic opportunities.

Education is paramount.  One of the defining characteristics that have distinguished high-income and rapid-growth countries is educational achievement.  Schools must be excellent from the primary level all the way through the university and professional school level. 

The Embassy has sought to do its part to promote educational achievement through the reading program I launched at the Woodcock Primary School in Nassau -- and have continued during my visits to the Family Islands, including a visit this morning to the Mary Star of the Sea School.  There is little we do at the Embassy more rewarding than building enthusiasm for reading among these eager students.  We are also exploring possible programs with the State of Florida, programs designed to build the educational capacity within the Bahamas.  We expect to make an announcement when Florida Governor Jeb Bush visits The Bahamas next week.

HIV/AIDS continues to present a major challenge throughout the Caribbean region and the world.  We have been pleased to work with the Government of the Bahamas and NGO groups to help combat this endemic.  These efforts have helped stem the number of new infections, and anti-retroviral treatment is now available to all who need it.  Unfortunately, some people still wait too long to seek treatment.  We need to work together to educate the public, encourage testing and prevent new infections.

The United States will continue to support Bahamian efforts and those of other governments in the region.  President Bush's 5-year, $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief already includes Haiti and Guyana among its focus countries.  All embassies in the region have made this fight a priority and utilize the special Ambassador's fund to support host country initiatives.  This is a fight we cannot afford to loose -- with forty million people infected worldwide -- the future as we know it is at stake.

Preparing for and Mitigating Disasters

The last eighteen months have painfully demonstrated the urgency of disaster preparedness and relief.  Hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne in 2004, the Asian tsunami, and one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record in 2005 -- have sharply impacted the people and economies of the Bahamas and the United States.  Certainly you know that only too well here on Grand Bahama. 

Nothing speaks to the extraordinary partnership between the Bahamas and the United States more than the incredible outpouring of support from the people of the Bahamas after Hurricane Katrina.  From business and church groups to schoolchildren baking cookies, Bahamians stepped forward to assist the United States.  Likewise, when disaster strikes The Bahamas, we are ready to quickly provide immediate relief and long-term solutions.  Just last December, in a very emotional ceremony, I was pleased to be able to convey 19 new homes built by USAID to residents of West End.  And we will present a second batch of new homes when they are completed in March.

The people of the Bahamas know that they can always count on the United States to be there in their hour of need, just as we have seen that we can count on them.

 

Conclusion

These are just a few examples of the partnership that defines the relationship between the United States and The Bahamas.  But all of you, as Americans here in the Bahamas, also form a vital part of our partnership.  Your presence here in the Bahamas, your contributions as part of the Grand Bahama community, and your good civic works are just as important for our relationship as the work we do as an Embassy.  Thank you for all you do as Americans in the Bahamas, and thank you for the invitation to meet with you today.  I wish the American Women's Club nothing but the best as you begin your second forty years.