The White House
President George W. Bush
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For Immediate Release
July 16, 2006


Freedom Edition

June 30 - July 4, 2003

KEY POINTS: FOSTERING FREEDOM

  • U.S. policy to foster democracy and protect human rights springs from American ideals and our national interest. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the fight against slavery and racial inequality, to standing up to totalitarian menaces, Americans have proved capable of turning this vision into action.

  • We will take concrete steps to help the builders of democracy, and we will not shy away from criticizing human rights violators.

  • Freedom and human dignity are indivisible. And so it follows that our policies are aimed at expanding liberties. America engages countries through diplomacy and hands-on projects that strengthen democracy and protect human rights.

  • Mongolia is a democracy, Mali is a democracy, Mexico is a democracy, but they are all different kinds of democracies. Since each country is different, we do not have a cookie-cutter approach to helping strengthening democracy - our approaches vary from country to country.

  • Increasingly, policymakers are considering democracy and human rights as key factors in determining levels of foreign assistance. For example, democracy and human rights reporting underpin both the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative and Millennium Challenge Account proposal.


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