Policy News Archive 2008

Here are some of the stories we featured on our front page in 2008:

UN Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Poland

December 12, 2008. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 14) in Poznań, Poland, ends today. It “marks the midway point of the two-year Bali action plan and that parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change launched last December, and it’s a key step toward the shared goal of developing a new global climate architecture in Copenhagen for next December,” Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky said. “The United States is fully committed to reaching agreement by 2009 on a post-2012 climate agreement that is environmentally effective and economically sustainable. And in achieving this, this will require significant action from all major economies, including ours. And similarly, all major economies must measure and report their actions in a verifiable manner.” remarks in full | more on the conference

President Bush Discusses World AIDS Day

December 1, 2008. President Bush on Monday said, “Today is World AIDS Day, a day we reaffirm our commitment to fight HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. Thirty-three million people around the world are living with HIV, including more than one million Americans. Once again this year, to observe World AIDS Day, there is a red ribbon on the North Portico of the White House. The ribbon is a symbol of our resolve to confront HIV/AIDS and to affirm the matchless value of every life.” full text | fact sheet

President-elect Barack Obama announces members of economic team

November 24, 2008. President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden officially announced key members of their economic team, naming Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Director of the National Economic Council. Obama and Biden also named Christina Romer as Chair of the Council of Economic advisors, and named Melody Barnes and Heather Higginbottom to serve as Director and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council. “Vice President-elect Biden and I have assembled an economic team with the vision and expertise to stabilize our economy, create jobs, and get America back on track. Even as we face great economic challenges, we know that great opportunity is at hand — if we act swiftly and boldly. That’s the mission our economic team will take on,” said President-elect Obama. more on nominees | background on transition

G20 Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy

President George W. Bush welcomes Chancellor Angela Merkel to the Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy. Photo: Chris Greenberg

November 15, 2008. After the summit meeting to which he had invited the G20 nations, President George W. Bush stated: “We agree that we need to improve our regulations and to ensure that markets, firms, and financial products are subject to proper regulation and oversight.” He also stressed that “the United States, in the midst of this financial crisis, will not abandon our commitments to people in the developing world; that the HIV/AIDS initiative, known as PEPFAR, will remain strong and vibrant; that our deep desire to significantly reduce malaria deaths in countries on the continent of Africa will not be diminished; that our obligation to help feed the hungry will not stop; that in the midst of all this turmoil and financial crisis, we will meet our obligations. These obligations are in our national security interests and our economic security interests and they... are in our moral interests. Audio | Video | full text » 

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice On International Human Rights

December 8, 2008. Secretary Condoleezza Rice said at the International Human Rights Day Awards Ceremony: “This week, we are joining in solidarity with human rights defenders across the globe in marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration is celebrated by men and women of every culture and creed, every race and religion, in countries large and small, developed and developing. It transcends political and ethnic differences and national boundaries, even as it embraces humanity in all of its diversity. Indeed, the Declaration speaks directly to the desire inherent in every human heart for freedom. Over the past six decades, democracy has spread across the globe, accompanied by remarkable gains for the rights that the Declaration enumerates. Yet, we are sobered by the fact that hundreds of millions of people are still denied fundamental freedoms by their governments. The United States remains committed to championing what President Bush has called ‘the non-negotiable demands of human dignity.’” remarks in full
• Human Rights: Defending human dignity | Dec. 9 Presidential Proclamation | Dec. 10 Press Statement | Statement of President-elect Obama on Human Rights Day

President Bush Welcomes President-Elect Obama to the White House

President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama walk the Colonnade to the Oval Office. Photo Eric Draper

November 10, 2008. On Monday afternoon President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush warmly welcomed President-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama to the White House for a visit that lasted several hours. In a private meeting in the Oval Office, President-elect Obama thanked President Bush for his commitment to a smooth transition in light of the nation’s many critical economic and security challenges. The First Lady led Mrs. Obama on a tour of the historic home — with a focus on the private residence — before meeting in the West Sitting Hall, where they discussed raising daughters in the White House. Office of the President-elect | more photos

President Bush Discusses International Development Policy

President Bush with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 

October 21, 2008. Adressing the White House Summit on International Development, President George W. Bush named security, economic, and moral reasons for America’s engagement: “For all of these reasons, this administration has made international development one of our biggest priorities... we’ve worked with partner nations — as well as the World Bank, and the IMF, and the African Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank — to relieve tens of billions of dollars in debt from some of the world’s poorest nations... We’ve also worked with wealthier nations to provide aid in the form of grants instead of loans. For the past eight years, the United States has provided more foreign assistance than at any time in the past half century.” Audio | Video | Transcript »

• Opening speech by Secretary Condoleezza Rice

Summit on International Development: Sustaining The New Era

President Bush Addresses the Nation About Economic Crisis

President Bush Addresses the Nation, September 24, 2008

September 24, 2008. In his Address to the Nation, President Bush explained: “I’m a strong believer in free enterprise. So my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention. I believe companies that make bad decisions should be allowed to go out of business. Under normal circumstances, I would have followed this course. But these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There’s been a widespread loss of confidence. And major sectors of America’s financial system are at risk of shutting down... There is a spirit of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans, and between Congress and this administration. In that spirit, I’ve invited Senators McCain and Obama to join congressional leaders of both parties at the White House tomorrow to help speed our discussions toward a bipartisan bill.
I know that an economic rescue package will present a tough vote for many members of Congress. It is difficult to pass a bill that commits so much of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. I also understand the frustration of responsible Americans who pay their mortgages on time, file their tax returns every April 15th, and are reluctant to pay the cost of excesses on Wall Street. But given the situation we are facing, not passing a bill now would cost these Americans much more later.” Video | Speech in full  | Joint statement by John McCain and Barack Obama »

President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly

President George W. Bush delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly 

September 23, 2008. In his eighth and final speech before the U.N. General Assembly in New York, President Bush highlighted how the United States has partnered closely with other nations to address global challenges; he also urged the U.N. and other multilateral organizations to continue to actively confront terror, to promote effective development, and to oppose tyranny: “History shows that when citizens have a voice in choosing their own leaders, they are less likely to search for meaning in radical ideologies. And when governments respect the rights of their people, they’re more likely to respect the rights of their neighbors.” For the global challenges ahead, to fight terrorism and poverty, and to promote liberty and justice, the President emphasized that “the world needs a confident and effective United Nations. This unique institution should build on its successes and improve its performance.” Speech in full »

Secretary Rice: Russia’s future is in Russia’s hands

U.S.-Russia Relations:

September 18, 2008. In a speech at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, DC, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice placed the conflict over the Caucasus regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the larger context of recent tendencies in Russian politics. Besides Russia’s invasion of Georgia and violations of the ceasefire agreement, she also cited other ominous trends, including its “use of oil and gas as a political weapon, its unilateral suspension of the CFE Treaty, its threat to target peaceful nations with nuclear weapons, its arms sales to states and groups that threaten international security, and its persecution – and worse – of Russian journalists, and dissidents, and others.” In her analysis of the post-Soviet transformation process Secretary Rice noted that “the legitimate goal of rebuilding the Russian state has taken a dark turn.” Rice stated that the strategic goal of the U.S., together with its European allies, would be “to make clear to Russia’s leaders that their choices could put Russia on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance.” Secretary Rice declared: “Russia’s leaders are making some unfortunate choices. But they can still make different ones.” Video | full text of the Secretary’s speech »

U.S. Announces $1 Billion Economic Support Package for Georgia

Bush and Rice Announce U.S. Economic Support Package for Georgia

September 3, 2008. President George W. Bush announced a major United States economic support package for Georgia: “As part of America’s contribution to this international effort, today, I am announcing $1 billion in additional economic assistance to meet Georgia’s humanitarian needs and to support its economic recovery. More than half of these funds will be made available in the near term and will support reconstruction efforts in Georgia, assist the Government of Georgia in leading the nation’s recovery, and meet ongoing humanitarian needs, including the resettlement of displaced families. The balance of the funds, together with assistance from the European Union and other partners, will help the Government of Georgia rebuild critical infrastructure and help local communities and businesses get back on their feet.” Secretary Condoleezza Rice stated: “The free world cannot allow the destiny of a small, independent country to be determined by the aggression of a larger neighbor.” full text of statements by President Bush | Secretary Rice

• Humanitarian Assistance Fact Sheets from USAID
• Newsfeed on Georgia Situation