[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12869-S12870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 92--RECOGNIZING RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO
LIBERTY'S SUCCESS IN PROMOTING DEMOCRACY AND ITS CONTINUING
CONTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NATIONAL INTERESTS
Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Helms, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr.
Smith of Oregon) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Con. Res. 92
Whereas on May 1, 1951, Radio Free Europe inaugurated its
full schedule of broadcast services to the people of Eastern
Europe and, subsequently, Radio Liberty initiated its
broadcast services to the peoples of the Soviet Union on
March 1, 1953, just before the death of Stalin;
Whereas now fifty years later, Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty (in this concurrent resolution referred to as ``RFE/
RL'') continues to promote democracy and human rights and
serve United States national interests by fulfilling its
mission ``to promote democratic values and institutions by
disseminating factual information and ideas'';
Whereas Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were
established in the darkest days of the cold war as a
substitute for the free media which no longer existed in the
communist-dominated countries of Central and Eastern Europe
and the Soviet Union;
Whereas Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty developed a
unique form of international broadcasting known as surrogate
broadcasting by airing local news about the countries to
which they broadcast as well as providing regional and
international news, thus preventing the communist governments
from establishing a monopoly on the dissemination of
information and providing an alternative to the state-
controlled, party dominated domestic media;
Whereas the broadcast of uncensored news and information by
Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty was a critical element
contributing to the collapse of the totalitarian communist
governments of Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet
Union;
Whereas since the fall of the Iron Curtain, RFE/RL has
continued to inform and therefore strengthen democratic
forces in Central Europe and the countries of the former
Soviet Union, and has contributed to the development of a new
generation of political and economic leaders who have worked
to strengthen civil society, free market economies, and
democratic government institutions;
Whereas United States Government funding established and
continues to support international broadcasting, including
RFE/RL, and this funding is among the most useful and
effective in promoting and enhancing the Nation's national
security over the past half century;
Whereas RFE/RL has successfully downsized in response to
legislative mandate and adapted its programming to the
changing international broadcast environment in order to
serve a broad spectrum of target audiences--people living in
fledgling democracies where private media are still weak and
do not enjoy full editorial independence, transitional
societies where democratic institutions and practices are
poorly developed, as well as countries which still have
tightly controlled state media;
Whereas RFE/RL continues to provide objective news,
analysis, and discussion of domestic and regional issues
crucial to democratic and free-market transformations in
emerging democracies as well as strengthening civil society
in these areas;
Whereas RFE/RL broadcasts seek to combat ethnic, racial,
and religious intolerance and promote mutual understanding
among peoples;
Whereas RFE/RL provides a model for local media, assists in
training to encourage media professionalism and independence,
and develops partnerships with local media outlets in
emerging democracies;
Whereas RFE/RL is a unique broadcasting institution long
regarded by its audience as an alternative national media
that provides both credibility and security for local
journalists who work as its stringers and editors in the
broadcast region; and
Whereas RFE/RL fosters closer relations between the United
States and other democratic states, and the states of Central
Europe and the former Soviet republics: Now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) congratulates the editors, journalists, and managers of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on a half century of effort
in promoting democratic values, and particularly their
contribution to promoting freedom of the press and freedom of
expression in areas of the world where such liberties have
been denied or are not yet fully institutionalized; and
(2) recognizes the major contribution of Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty to the growth of democracy throughout the world
and its continuing efforts to advance the vital national
interests of the United States in building a world community
that is more peaceful, democratic, free, and stable.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, amidst the focus and sustained attention
we have all had on the matters of the first global war of the 21st
century, we do not wish to miss the 50th year anniversary of one of the
most important tools developed in our foreign policy arsenal in the
20th century. I am referring to the 50th anniversary of the
inauguration of Radio Free Europe, which first broadcast its full
schedule of radio programming into central and eastern Europe on May 1,
International Workers' Day, one of the most famous communist holidays,
in 1951.
Two years later, Radio Liberty began its broadcasting programs to the
peoples of the Soviet Union. An era of puncturing the state-imposed
silence of totalitarian regimes had begun.
Today, I am happy to submit a resolution commemorating the 50 years
of the ``Radios,'' as they have come to be known. I am happy to have as
co-sponsors the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, as well as Senator Kennedy and Senator Smith of
Oregon.
The Radios were the main component in what some would call America's
propaganda efforts. Along with the Voice of America, which broadcasts
about American affairs throughout the world, revealing to audiences
restricted from freedom of the media the real stories of this country,
the Radios were a central tool in broadcasting local news and
information back into the captive countries of central and eastern
Europe and Eurasia.
Totalitarian communism required complete government control of every
aspect of society, that is what totalitarianism is. In addition to
controlling every aspect of an individual's life, totalitarianism
required that all information, be it cultural, educational or
informational, must also be controlled. Totalitarianism cannot
function, communism cannot dominate, tyranny cannot succeed, if they
must compete with independent media that promotes a free exchange of
ideas and views.
That was the role of the Radios. It was an understanding of this
basic dynamic of totalitarian communism which led our policymakers, 50
years ago, to realize that one of the most effective, in fact, most
threatening, tools we could deploy was the use of a free media. And
thus was born the Radios, Radio Free Europe for broadcasting to eastern
and central Europe and Radio Liberty for broadcasting into the Soviet
Union's realm.
When peoples' minds can grasp differing views, news not controlled by
the state, then the state does not completely own them. When the state
cannot own them, the state will eventually have to serve, not dominate,
its citizens.
It is the freedom of information, wedded to technology, originally
radio, then television, now the Internet, that gave hope, that
sustained resistance and that ultimately made one of the central
contributions to the collapse of these regimes against which we waged a
Cold War through the latter half of the 20th century.
Now, 50 years after their inception, it is fitting that we pass this
resolution to honor the Radios and their many contributors, editors,
journalists, broadcasters and technicians, who staffed them through all
of these years.
It is also worthwhile, as we pause to honor this mission, to
recognize that the Radios had bipartisan support throughout these
years. America's foreign policy, after all, is most vibrant, most
dynamic, most successful, when it operates with bipartisan support.
That is why our colleagues in the House passed this concurrent
resolution with 404 votes.
It is also worthwhile to note that there are very valuable lessons to
be learned from this successful aspect of American foreign policy, and
to recognize that the supporters of the Radios have, in fact, applied
these lessons to the new post-Cold War context.
Yes, it has become a cliche in the past 10 years that we are in a
``post-Cold War'' era. The question that has remained largely
unanswered, however, is how does the U.S. respond to this era? Some
have suggested that we reached an ``end of history,'' where liberal
democracy essentially triumphs around the globe. Some suggested that
the end of geopolitical competition in a bipolar era would reduce
America's role or obligations in the world.
In response, some have suggested, more caustically and in retrospect
since that dark September 11 day, that America went on holiday for the
last 10
[[Page S12870]]
years, eschewing our vigilance against global threats and riding on a
historic wave of prosperity underlined by a false assumption that
economic growth eliminated all global challenges and threats.
An American foreign policy expert noted, shortly after the end of the
Cold War, that ``the world has changed the way it looks, but not the
way it works.'' I agree. There still remain regimes that oppress their
peoples; there still remain movements that see the United States as
their enemy; there still remain forces that seek to destroy us.
It is no coincidence that these regimes and movements depend on
controlling and suppressing freedom of thought and expression wherever
they hold sway. None of the countries on our terrorism list has free
media. And certainly one of the most repressive regimes in recent
memory was that of the now defunct and despicable Taliban regime.
Our colleagues have introduced legislation promoting a ``Radio Free
Afghanistan'' to assist the transition to a post-Taliban era for that
nation we abandoned and neglected for the last decade. My colleague,
Senator Biden, in response to the September 11 attacks, has correctly
noted that there is much, much more that we can do in terms of
broadcasting accurate news and information to large parts of the Arab
and Islamic world. Senator Biden has a long-standing dedication to
these broadcasting tools of our foreign policy. I have seen his first
proposal for an enhanced international broadcasting function, and am
anxious to support it.
As those who have always supported the Radios know, a lot of the
lessons for our future use of surrogate broadcasting comes from the
lessons learned through the Radios since 1989. The Radios themselves
have evolved. No longer broadcasting into closed societies, they have
adapted their mission to the changed circumstances, they have become
key players in these societies in transition. As a result of
congressional oversight and the leadership of the Radios, the Radios
have reshaped their missions to support the transition to democracy of
the many nations of the former communist bloc, who are all in various
stages of transition, some fully democratic, others struggling, and
even others backsliding.
One of the most disturbing aspects of America's temporary retreat
following the end of the Cold War was the notion that, with communism
defeated, these societies of the former Soviet bloc would inevitably
blossom into stable democracies. This has proved contrary to history,
and, as we saw in many cases during the 1990s, was contrary to fact.
While communism is defeated, a stable democratic society must be
developed and nurtured, often by well-meaning citizens with little
experience of the societies they seek to achieve. Central in effecting
this transition is a free media, and I am happy to say that the Radios
are playing a key role, a role carefully calibrated to their stages of
political and economic development.
In societies still governed by repressive regimes, such as Belarus
and Turkmenistan, the Radios continue to broadcast news that the local
populations can trust and continue to puncture state-controlled media
with fresh and objective analysis. In transition societies, such as
Russia and Serbia, the Radios, in addition to providing useful news and
analysis, provide a model of modern, professional media that these
societies study and use to advance their own nascent media
institutions.
America does not have all of the ideas, nor all of the solutions, to
the problems of the world. But our system is based on the fundamental
conviction that there must be a free exchange of ideas. And history has
demonstrated that we have worked best, most productively, most
peacefully, with nations that share this conviction. The Radios both
emulated this fundamental principle and applied it to advance our
national security. Let us pause for a moment and recognize this by
passing this resolution commemorating their 50th anniversary.
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