President Bush: Foreign Policy Successes

President Bush’s detractors will try to claim that his foreign policy isolated us from the rest of the global community, squandered international goodwill and turned friends into enemies.

I know what I’m about to say is going to come as a shock to many, but here I go anyway…the rest of the world disliked us before President Bush came along.

I’ll pause for the collective gasp…

Now, I’m not about to claim that President Bush has a spotless record in his foreign policy affairs, however to insinuate that his presidency marked the dawn of international hostilities towards the United States is patently absurd.

The way the rest of the world views us has little to nothing to do with the way we execute our global affairs.

The only thing that major foreign policy actions like the invasion of Iraq, the refusal to sign the Kyoto Agreement, our support of Israel, etc. provide is another excuse for foreign countries to criticize the United States. Believe me, if the events in the previous sentence did not occur, the global community would merely find another issue and criticize the U.S.’s stance on that.

Why is this? Quite simply, it’s the age-old case of the haves vs. the have-nots.

This is something that will come as quite a shock to the disciples of “Hope” and “Change”.

But that’s an entirely different conversation, on now to President Bush and his record.

Like much of President Bush’s administration, his foreign policy initiatives have been a mixed bag highlighted by spectacular successes and gargantuan failures.

Today, we’re going to focus on the successes, as they are quite impressive. President Bush…

• Created a global coalition of nearly 100 nations to combat terrorist networks by sharing intelligence, crippling their finances and capturing or killing their members

• Immensely increased America’s trade agreements as when he took office, agreements with only three countries existed, versus 14 today - with three additional agreements approved by Congress but not yet functioning and agreements with three countries that are awaiting Congressional approval

• Built strong relationships in Asia with China and Taiwan (an exceptionally difficult task), Japan and South Korea

• Moved closer to Great Brittan, France, Italy and Germany as pro-U.S. governments have been installed (especially in the latter three) throughout Europe

• Signed a civilian nuclear power agreement with India, uniting the world’s oldest and largest democracies

• Strengthened relationships with Latin America, including establishing initiatives with Brazil on biofuels and with Mexico and Central America on fighting organized crime and limiting the international drug trade

• Expanded NATO membership

• Did more to help the plight of Africans than any person in the history of mankind

I’d like to spend some more time on President Bush’s African policies, as they are truly extraordinary and have been almost completely ignored by a shameful American press.

President Bush’s President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was the largest single health investment by any government ever ($15 billion). When the initiative was launched in 2003, only about 50,000 sub-Saharan Africans were receiving antiretroviral treatment for AIDS. Today, 1.7 million people in the region, as well as tens of thousands more around the globe, are receiving such treatment. PEPFAR also funded efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the AIDS virus and provided care to the sick, dying and more than five million African orphans.

If that wasn’t enough, in July of this year, President Bush doubled the funding to $30 billion. The new funding will be used to train 140,000 new health care workers. It would also address other illnesses, like tuberculosis, that often complicate AIDS.

The president also backed a malaria initiative that has provided an estimated 25 million Africans with nets, spraying and other prevention and treatment options. Separate from the AIDS funds, the president has tripled development assistance and humanitarian aid to Africa since taking office.

It was the Bush administration that first raised the alarm about the atrocities in Darfur, organized a massive humanitarian relief effort to save people in the displaced camps and rallied an international coalition to send peacekeeping troops to restore order through African Union. While the civil war continues, casualties have declined and people are being fed by aid agencies, thanks to U.S. government generosity.

President Bush’s African policies are not exclusively humanitarian, as he has greatly bolstered the continent’s economic future as well.

Besides canceling much of Africa’s debt, The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, approved in 2000 and reauthorized in expanded form in 2004, provides trade benefits with the United States for 40 African countries that have implemented reforms to encourage economic growth. Since 2001, US exports to Africa have more than doubled to $14 billion a year, while African exports to the United States more than tripled to $67 billion, of which $3.4 billion has been in goods other than oil. USAID has provided more than $500 million in trade capacity building for poor countries to access international markets, which is the only way Africa will escape the poverty that has for too long oppressed the continent.

I wanted to highlight these accomplishments because no one in the major media outlets appears willing to do so as that would contradict the “Bush is a madman” narrative that they have spent eight years perfecting.

As you can see, President Bush achieved a great deal around the world in his eight years as Commander in Chief. Let’s just hope his failures don’t bring down these outstanding accomplishments.

That’s all for now folks. Until next time, take care and be well.

-John