Thread: U.S Commander Addresses U.S. Partnership with Latin America

09 March 2007

U.S Commander Addresses U.S. Partnership with Latin America

Key to the future of the Americas is understanding, says Admiral Stravridis

This byliner by Commander of the U.S. Southern Command James Stavridis appeared in the Miami Herald March 8 and is in the public domain. There are no republication restrictions.

Build a true partnership with Latin America
By Admiral James Stavridis, Commander, U.S. Southern Command

President Bush announced important new initiatives for the Western Hemisphere this week. They underscore the vital connection that we share with the wonderful and diverse nations of the Americas. Today, more than ever, common interests interweave the fabric of this beautiful hemisphere. We share common challenges and opportunities; and our futures are inextricably linked.

At U.S. Southern Command -- the military organization focused on the 32 nations and 13 territories of Central America, South America and the Caribbean -- we devote a considerable amount of energy to the study of these challenges and opportunities. We pursue a host of programs designed to foster security, stability and goodwill in the region with the ultimate goal of enabling the spread of true prosperity to the 450 million people living in this part of the Americas.

The key to the future of this great region is understanding -- understanding each other, our shared challenges and the promise of security cooperation for our shared future. When it comes to our philosophy, the Southern Command motto reflects our approach:
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``Partnership for the Americas.´´

The first step in creating lasting and beneficial partnerships is through building and communicating understanding. The United States shares numerous and compelling linkages to the people and societies in the Americas. Besides our geographical and historical affinities, we are linked by the common values of democracy and respect for human rights; we increasingly are interdependent economically, with 40 percent of U.S. trade flowing north and south in this hemisphere; and we share growing human and cultural connections, with about 15 percent of our population having Hispanic origins. At Southern Command, we study these linkages and communicate their importance as we strive to build and strengthen relationships in the region through effective strategic communication and interagency partnering.

When you analyze the challenges that we face together in the region, you quickly realize that no one nation -- big or small -- can successfully overcome them. Illegal-drug trafficking, criminal activity, gangs, human smuggling, terrorist financing and recruitment, natural disasters -- none of these stops at a nation´s border. These challenges require cooperative solutions -- and partnerships.

At U.S. Southern Command, we are committed to being good partners -- and to being the partner of choice throughout the region. Every day, year after year, we dedicate the majority of our resources to building the security capabilities of our partners while encouraging an environment of cooperation among all of the nations in the region.

This involves numerous training exercises, educational programs, technology sharing, intelligence sharing, security-procurement assistance, humanitarian aid and a myriad of other programs. We endeavor to improve our region´s ability to respond to today´s and tomorrow´s security challenges. Through a steady improvement in security, we can help create the conditions that will enable this region to counter the poverty and inequality that have gripped it for so long.

Besides our many training exercises and security-cooperation programs, U.S. Southern Command conducts a variety of humanitarian activities that directly help those in need while providing training to our team. As an example of our commitment to the people of the region, our medical personnel treat about 250,000 patients annually, varying from routine prevention to the most serious emergency cases. Each year we also build or refurbish a number of clinics, schools, community centers and wells. Last weekend, we flew critical relief supplies to the victims of the devastating flooding in Bolivia. All of these efforts contribute to showing goodwill, building relationships and, perhaps most important, building understanding.

Work together

As the president just announced, this summer we are sending a U.S. hospital ship, the Comfort, on a first-time deployment to Central America and the Caribbean to visit various nations´ ports on both sides of the Panama Canal. It will treat 85,000 people who lack access to medical care. In the spring, we also are sending a specially configured U.S. Navy logistics ship on a seven-month tour of the region to perform training and maintenance events focused on helping our partners better secure their ports and coastal waters.

The president characterized his speech Monday as one “that sets out a direction for this country in regards to our neighborhood” -- the Americas. This is the right time for all of us, inside and outside U.S. government, to work together on the challenges facing this hemisphere.

By doing so, we can realize the true promise of the Americas. It all begins with building and communicating true understanding, leading to a real and vibrant ``Partnership for the Americas.´´


http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/displ ... as0.156048

North American Union doublespeak propaganda!

Originally Posted by ShockedinCalifornia

North American Union doublespeak propaganda!

Yes, you're right! And a big violent poverty and disease ridden hispanic state in the US, because I hear many of the poor in those countries are being invited to come here. Kennedy thinks we should have at least a billion people here and I believe sucking up to the latin countries and forcing Spanish down our throats is how they plan to achieve it. This explains why Washington doesn't want our national language to be English, eventually the language of the so-called Americas will be Spanish.