U.S. Official Outlines Essential Elements of Democracy

The Organization of American States (OAS), on behalf of the 800 million people in the Western Hemisphere, must be committed to defending democracy in the region, says U.S. official John Maisto.

In September 12 remarks at the OAS commemorating the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, Maisto said the charter enumerates the "essential elements of representative democracy."

Maisto, the U.S. permanent representative to the OAS, said those elements of democracy are respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; the rule of law; the holding of periodic, free and fair elections based on secret balloting; a pluralistic political system; and the separation of powers between branches of government.

He also emphasized that the "democracy we are talking about is not a U.S. model of democracy," nor a model of democracy from Brazil, Canada, Venezuela, Costa Rica or Jamaica. The elements of democracy, he said, represent "fundamental, universal, non-negotiable human liberties. And in the Americas, we have a positive agenda to assure that all 800 million people enjoy these freedoms."

The U.S. envoy said that if democracy is to help reduce poverty and inequality in the Americas, "then democratic institutions must be effective. Institutions must be reformed to fight corruption and to function transparently. And every democracy must have the strength to create opportunities for improved health and education for all of its citizens."

Maisto said that “to prevent a breakdown of this democratic infrastructure," the Democratic Charter, adopted by the United States and the 33 other OAS members on September 11, 2001, "must be a relevant tool for action, not just a piece of paper."

On that date, when the United States was attacked by terrorists and citizens of more than 30 countries in the hemisphere were killed, hemispheric leaders committed themselves "not only to defend our territory, our security, and our people," but also to defend democracy, said Maisto.

He added that under the auspices of the charter, the OAS has helped or is helping those member states where democratic practices or institutions are challenged, including in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. In addition, Maisto said that over the last 24 months, the OAS has fielded "high quality, successful election observer missions or other missions" in Bolivia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, St. Vincent, Suriname and Nicaragua.

Maisto said that even though the charter can serve as an effective tool to "ward off political crises or impending challenges to constitutional order, there is still reluctance on the part of some countries to use it in this way."

With this in mind, Maisto said the charter does not "anticipate rushing to sanction or to suspend" an OAS member state. Rather, he said, the charter "contemplates a gradual, measured response to political crises" and "incorporates very practical measures -- both remedial and preventive -- to strengthen and restore democracy."

Maisto said the two 9/11 events -- the terrorist attacks on the United States and the adoption of the charter -- are "seminal in the course of our hemisphere's history, and they will forever remain tied inextricably by fate's hand." He added that "at face value, both could not be further apart in their human dimensions: one, an act of premeditated evil, the other, a symbol of great human achievement that exalts civilization."

But on that date, Maisto said, "we saw our countries, our region, and our world come together as a community of nations to provide comfort, solidarity, and hope. And we saw political will and determination by each one of our governments to make a historic and explicit commitment to the preservation and promotion of democracy, on the very day that our democratic values and way of life came under attack."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

What the &*(((&^#@@ is going on in the US State Department?????

Just look at the goals of the head of the State Dept.

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico.

This country was right to be concerned about a country like Kosovo -- but there are more refugees of conflict in Colombia.

America is right to be concerned about Kuwait -- but more of our oil comes from Venezuela.

America is right to welcome trade with China -- but we export as much to Brazil.

Our future cannot be separated from the future of Latin America.

Some still look at Latin America through old stereotypes.

But I see a hemisphere of 500 million people, striving with the dream of a better life. A dream of free markets and free people, in a hemisphere free from war and tyranny. That dream has sometimes been frustrated -- but it must never be abandoned.

This hemisphere, united by geography, has often been divided by history. In the 19th century, many strong nations wanted weak neighbors they could dominate. But those days have passed. In the 21st century, strong nations will benefit from healthy, confident, democratic neighbors.

Weak neighbors export problems: environmental trouble, illegal immigration, even crime, drugs and violence. Strong neighbors export their goods, and buy ours -- creating jobs and good will.

We seek, not just good neighbors, but strong partners. We seek, not just progress, but shared prosperity. With persistence and courage, we shaped the last century into an American century. With leadership and commitment, this can be the century of the Americas.

In 1992 -- the 500th anniversary of Spanish contact with America - we seemed well on our way toward that vision. The United States and our friends in the region had overcome the debt crisis. We negotiated the end of cruel and bloody wars. Together, we confronted inflation and checked nuclear proliferation. Democracy was advancing. And the North American Free Trade Agreement promised to be a blueprint for free trade throughout the hemisphere.

But the promise of that moment has been squandered. The Clinton/Gore administration has had no strategy. We have seen summits without substance, and reaction instead of action. We were promised fast-track trade authority -- as every American president has had for 25 years. And yet this administration failed to get it. We were promised a Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Yet it never happened. Chile was promised partnership in NAFTA. And it was "delayed."

And in spite of real, even dramatic progress in some parts of Latin America, problems have grown into crises. Narcotic traffickers seek to gain control of a government. Many free nations still struggle to show economic results for all their citizens. And we can never forget the vast urban slums where young children scramble for survival.

Should I become president, I will look South, not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental commitment of my presidency. Just as we ended the great divide between East and West, so today we can overcome the North-South divide.

This begins with a renewed commitment to democracy and freedom in this hemisphere -- because human freedom, in the long run, is our best weapon against poverty, disease and tyranny.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

You can read the speech here.

Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster

Do they even reference sovereignty as a a precursor value?

And what is this nattering revisionism about 9-11?

But on that date, Maisto said, "we saw our countries, our region, and our world come together as a community of nations to provide comfort, solidarity, and hope. And we saw political will and determination by each one of our governments to make a historic and explicit commitment to the preservation and promotion of democracy, on the very day that our democratic values and way of life came under attack."

Someone needs to tell me precisely how France, Russia, China (which openly said the US got its just desserts...and sent more weapons to the Taliban, Iran, and armed Iraq as well, while proliferating Nuclear tech clandestinely), etc fit this rose-colored view. Not to mention the rather lame response to the rest of the Axis of Evil Iran, North Korea. Or Cuba, and Venezuela (which even tried to send $10 million as a gift to the Taliban AFTER 9-11)

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