Ambassador Kenny's Remarks

“Good Men Must Not Do Nothing”

James C. Kenny: United States Ambassador to Ireland
Remarks to the Association of European Journalists:

January 28, 2005

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to review the foreign policy vision that President Bush has outlined for his second four-year term.

In his Inaugural address last week, President Bush spoke forcefully of the power of freedom and the obligation of the Free World to unite against tyranny and stand together to promote democracy and freedom. In the words of the President, “There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.”

During President Bush’s first term, we saw the Afghan people liberated from Taliban tyranny and go to the polls in their millions to freely elect their first leader in over five thousand years. We also saw the people of Kosovo turn out in impressive numbers to conduct their first free and fair elections in decades, and that only happened because Europe, America, and the world stood strong together to defeat ethnic cleansing. Earlier this month, the Palestinian people expressed their will with ballots, not bullets, and chose a new leader who has already taken decisive steps on the road to peace with Israel. And in only 48 hours, the people of Iraq will have their first chance in decades to elect a representative Assembly that will draft a national constitution and put this strong and vibrant nation securely on the road to freedom, peace, and security.

Although many of our European partners, and no doubt many of you in this room today, have criticized my country for “going it alone” on Iraq, Sunday’s election is a triumph of international action and we all have a vital stake in the success of that election. The Interim Iraqi Government, headed by Prime Minister Allawi, is recognized by the United Nations and the UN Security Council, through Resolution 1546, has affirmed the need to hold these elections on schedule. This same commitment has been echoed by Iraq’s Arab neighbors in the Sharm el Sheikh communiqué and at a recent meeting in Jordan. In all these resolutions, the International Community is called upon to assist Iraq with its political transition and the U.S., EU, and Japan have all responded with strong financial and logistical support for the elections. I am very pleased to add that Irish Foreign Minister Ahern has issued a very forceful statement endorsing this election and supporting the Iraqi people in their democratic aspirations.

However, a minority of embittered Iraqi Baathists, supported by foreign terrorists, is determined to derail the hopes and dreams of the Iraqi people, aborting the birth of freedom by terrorizing those who want nothing more than to cast their vote, walk their streets in safety, and send their children to school in peace. These people – the good people of Iraq who constitute the vast majority of the population in that troubled land – need our help and support. They need to know that the world is with them on Sunday when they go to the polls, they need to know that their votes will count and that their expressions of political choice will be respected by the world as the legitimate expression of their free will.

This is why it is so important for media and governments across Europe to endorse these elections in advance, to show the people of Iraq and their terrorist tormentors, that we are with the people who choose ballots over bullets and that we will work with their elected leaders, those who have a mandate from the people to represent their aspirations to the world. Not to do so by our silence is to give in to tyranny.

As the great Dublin-born philosopher Edmund Burke put it, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Successful elections on Sunday will be a triumph of the Iraqi people and it is they and they alone who need the support of good men and women around the world. Now is truly the time for all governments, commentators, and other political observers to step up to the plate and show the people of Iraq that we are there for them. We must not do nothing.

But Sunday’s election is only a short-term priority. The President has a much longer term vision of a democratic Middle East, a swath of Muslim-majority nations stretching from North Africa, across the Middle East, and into South Asia and the Pacific, that is open, tolerant, democratic, and prosperous, a vibrant and vital part of the international community supporting the advance of human rights everywhere.

Our new Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, certainly shares the President’ vision of a peaceful, stable, tolerant Middle East and will continue to push forward on the diplomatic front in the months ahead. As she said in her remarks yesterday at the State Department, her first day on the job by the way, “the State Department has got to be in the lead in this period in which diplomacy will be so important to solidifying the gains of the last few years and to pressing forward an agenda for a freer and more prosperous world.” It is this diplomacy, led by the President, which will be launched next month when President Bush visits Europe to begin repairing some of the damage to the transatlantic relationship that has transpired in recent years.

And what are these gains of which Secretary Rice spoke? Let’s consider some of the many significant developments that are transforming the Muslim world today that have started during the past four years of the Bush Administration:

· Turkey continues to revamp its legislation in preparation for EU candidacy;

·A freely elected Iraqi Assembly begins drafting a new and modern constitution;

·The newly elected Palestinian leadership is reining in violence and continues to make moves toward peace with Israel;

·Afghanistan continues to build functioning democratic institutions;

·Libya continues to open itself to the outside world after halting its program to acquire nuclear weapons;

·The Sudanese government and political elements in Darfur and the southern part of Sudan are moving forward in establishing peace and reconciliation;

·And Iran and the EU continue to negotiate on Iran’s nuclear development program.

Four years ago, almost no one would have dreamed that such advances would be possible in this group of countries stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Few people in Europe or America would have dared to imagine that a dictator like Saddam Hussein would be found cowering in a rat hole, betrayed by another Iraqi and put on trial in his own country, by his own people, under a democratically elected government. Few would have imagined that the very intolerance that would destroy centuries-old Buddhist statues and stone defenseless women would be defeated and replaced by those who seek a free, tolerant, and religiously diverse society.

But President Bush did dare to imagine a world that would one day be free of many of these tyrannies we know today and he led the American people and supporters of democracy around the world in supporting those who yearn to be free.

Other presidents and other world leaders have, of course, set out ambitious programs and objectives, but President Bush has done so in a way that does not bespeak imperial ambitions, does not bespeak a desire for global hegemony, and does not show he is out to shape the world to look, sound, and act like America. Again, I want to share these words from his Inaugural Address:

“Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.”

Are these the words of conquest or cultural imperialism? Are these the words of hegemony, of domination and control? No. Absolutely not. These are the words of a true advocate of democracy, the words of a true lover of freedom, the words of one who has a vision of a better world and is committed to realizing it for the sake of all.

We truly have an exciting, but highly challenging, four years ahead of us. The world as we know it today is very different from the world of four years ago, and the world of four years from now will no doubt be very different from the world of today. But just as we have seen great progress in the advance of global freedom and democracy, so will we see these gains solidify as more and more people take control of their destinies and their national affairs.

President Bush has set forward an ambitious agenda of promoting freedom and hope, of opposing tyranny and oppression, of advancing democratic reforms and human rights, and standing fast in the war on terror. He is committed to using force to defend our values, but he is also determined to use diplomacy to advance our goals. Next month, when the President visits Europe, mending the transatlantic relationship will be at the top of his agenda as the United States and Europe continue working together to find ways to advance our common goals and our shared values.

Edmund Burke’s words are more relevant today than perhaps at any time in history. We cannot let evil triumph, but we will if we do nothing. Every member of the international community has an important role to play in this effort to advance our human rights agenda, our shared values, and our common goals. In this, we cannot waver.

Thank you and I look forward to your questions and comments.