Press Releases
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
10/24/2007
Pelosi to NDI: ‘America Must Reclaim Its Rightful Place in the Community of Nations’
“It was a great honor to receive the invitation to
participate in NDI’s Democracy Luncheon from Secretary Madeleine Albright. As Ambassador to the United Nations, she
represented our nation with great distinction.
As Secretary of State, she led a principled foreign policy improving our
alliances and promoting democracy all over the world. She is a great American statesman.
“Averell Harriman, another great American statesman, would
be so proud to know that an award named for him has been given to the first
woman elected to lead an African nation:
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of
“I had the opportunity to visit President Sirleaf in
“At that time, I had the privilege of inviting her to
address a joint meeting of Congress.
When she came to
“Making the future brighter for our children is also the
work of
“We come together today grateful for the efforts of the
National Democratic Institute’s efforts to promote and strengthen democracy
worldwide. Thank you, Kenneth Wollack,
for your leadership [as President of NDI.]
“
“Everywhere I travel, the call is clear: the world needs
“Our relationship with any country should help make the
world safer, economies stronger, and people freer. Three pillars of
“The world is changing rapidly and so are the threats we
face. They range from an improvised
explosive device to a nuclear weapon; a threat as small as a virus to one as
large as Hurricane Katrina; a lone wolf terrorist to a rogue nation; and the
weakness of energy dependence to the fury of despair in the developing
world.
“We must have goals as ambitious as the risks we face: to
win the war on terror, to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and
to fight the long-term conditions that breed poverty, disease, instability and
environmental degradation.
“We serve our interests and the world’s when we demonstrate
our leadership and our values in places like
“One week ago today, President Bush and Congress awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It was an extraordinary day when
“Courageous people in
“I am proud that the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House
just passed tough new sanctions on those responsible for gross violations of
human rights in
“The pursuit of freedom is difficult. There are times when
our democratic values seem at odds with other interests. But it is in our national interest to
reconcile them.
“We should not accept the false choices among protecting our
national security, promoting economic opportunity, and advancing human rights.
We can and must achieve all of them.
“In my travels as Speaker, I have met with presidents, prime
ministers, and kings. But I also always
meet with dissidents, women, and young people.
These encounters impress and inspire me.
“At a time when some world leaders question the value of
constructive dialogue with our adversaries, young people are engaged in their
own international dialogue – in real time.
“The philosopher Hannah Arendt once observed that nations
are driven by the endless flywheel of violence believing that one last, one
final violent gesture will bring peace. But, each time they sow the seeds for
more violence. Words, not weaponry, are
the tools of a new civilization.
“Young people are talking – over email and through blogs -
about their hopes for a brighter future – of their desire for peace and
prosperity. They are weary of war, and weary of their leaders using war, or the
threat of war, to fail to build them a better future.
“It is the impatience of youth that gives me hope.
“They want to know if their leaders have the courage to make
the tough decisions for peace. They want
an end to war in the Middle East. They
want an end to violence in Africa, especially in Darfur. They want an end to the war in Iraq.
“In every country I visit, and here at home, I thank our
troops for their patriotism, their service, and for the sacrifice they are
willing to make. Our troops have done
everything asked of them. They have
performed excellently.
“The Iraqi government has not.
“Retired generals tell us that to have stability in the
region, we must redeploy our troops out of
“To salute our men and women in uniform, let us build a
future that is worthy of the sacrifice of our troops, worthy of the vision of
our founders, and worthy of the aspirations of our children.
“To build that future we must forge a sustainable and
bipartisan foreign policy that reflects American values and restores our
leadership in the world. And NDI is
helping us do so -- promoting the American ideal of democracy around the
world. Thank you.”