[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE PROMISE OF EMERGING DEMOCRACIES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2009

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring to my 
colleagues' attention a September 8, 2009, Washington Times op-ed 
written by Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan. Since 1991, Nursultan Nazarbayev has served as the 
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Oftentimes, emerging 
democracies like Kazakhstan are not the focus of media attention, but 
in the Washington Times op-ed entitled, ``The Promise of Emerging 
Democracies,'' President Nazarbayev reminds the world that emerging 
democracies do have an important and pivotal role to play on the global 
stage.

               [From the Washington Times, Sept. 8, 2009]

                  The Promise of Emerging Democracies

                       (By Nursultan Nazarbayev)

       The world is remaking itself. Amid pressing economic 
     challenges and multinational security concerns, new alliances 
     are forming. Global commerce along with governments are 
     bringing down borders, opening relationships and creating 
     opportunity. Kazakhstan, like most emerging democracies, is 
     cautiously optimistic, with a pragmatism steeped in the hard 
     lessons of history. Policies have consequences; alliances can 
     liberate as well as captivate. With the stroke of a pen, 
     superpower leaders like Presidents Obama and Dmitry Medvedev 
     of Russia can reverse a decade of tepid relations to put 
     forces and agendas into motion that affect all of us.
       Nowhere in the world is the influence more keenly felt than 
     in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, positioned as we are between 
     Russia, China, Iran and Afghanistan. Here, a breeze in global 
     diplomacy among nations like Russia, the United States and 
     China can have the impact of a blinding windstorm, leaving us 
     to wonder about our role and influence within these 
     relationships.
       Bellicose nations rattle sabers to garner attention and 
     receive a concession here and there; certainly, their tactics 
     make the nightly news. Others push America and Western 
     democracies to the brink before backing off and waiting for 
     another strategic push in their quest for a place among 
     nuclear nations. Emerging democracies like Kazakhstan, on the 
     other hand, while not the focus of media attention, have a 
     responsibility and role to play on the global stage that is 
     far more consequential to the welfare of freedom-loving 
     nations.
       The objective of Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev to cut their 
     nuclear arsenals by a third is indicative of that role. The 
     current size of those arsenals was influenced greatly by a 
     decision our nascent democracy made 18 years ago to 
     permanently shut down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, 
     which set the stage for a decision to safely dispose of 104 
     SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles we had inherited 
     from the Soviet Union, each tipped with 10 nuclear warheads. 
     To put this in perspective, North Korea, which the world 
     cautiously watches, is believed to have enough plutonium 
     for only a half-dozen atomic bombs.
       Keeping the weapons could have made Kazakhstan a larger 
     player in our potentially volatile region, and surely the 
     world would be more aware of us today. There were some who 
     encouraged us to keep the arsenal. But larger considerations, 
     including the role and responsibility of emerging democracies 
     like ours, weighed heavily in the decision. Our focus was on 
     building a new economic and political model in Kazakhstan, 
     and we had a firm belief that our future and welfare rested 
     on commercial and security relationships in the West.
       Our desire was to engage in what I like to call cooperative 
     leadership, pragmatic and constructive engagement with the 
     myriad and often complex forces in our region. This was the 
     philosophy that prompted us to dismantle our arsenal and 
     pursue relations not only with the United States, but with 
     Russia, China, Iran and, in fact, all nations that see 
     opportunity in Kazakhstan.
       On Aug. 29, we celebrated the anniversary of our decision, 
     and the philosophy of cooperative leadership that inspired it 
     continues to benefit Kazakhstan and our relationships 
     throughout the world. A dedication to democratic values, the 
     rule of law, transparency, tolerance and open trade has led 
     to stability and a strong, well-educated middle class. This 
     increasingly firm foundation at home enables us to play an 
     important role among nations abroad, providing strategic 
     engagement and opportunities for cooperation among countries 
     that often may be overlooked, as well as among those who may 
     not be inclined to work together otherwise.
       Sharing common values of freedom and peaceful development, 
     democracies firmly support each other. That is why since the 
     Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that shocked the entirety of 
     mankind, Kazakhstan has stood shoulder to shoulder with the 
     United States in the fight against international terrorism 
     and today provides much-needed assistance for the 
     stabilization of Afghanistan.
       As an emerging democracy practicing cooperative leadership, 
     Kazakhstan is able to encourage dialogue even among 
     adversaries. Our recently concluded third annual Congress of 
     Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is only one 
     example, with spiritual leaders attending from almost every 
     faith and nation to promote tolerance and understanding. 
     Likewise, our quest to establish an international nuclear 
     fuel bank to be governed by the International Atomic Energy 
     Agency, which would allow nations like Iran and others to 
     openly and honestly pursue their energy agendas, finds 
     support among leaders in the United States, Russia and China. 
     Recently, Israeli President Shimon Peres proposed Kazakhstan 
     as the site for a historic meeting with key leaders from his 
     country, Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world.
       This is how emerging democracies can make a difference. In 
     the absence of the entrenched and sometimes dogmatic 
     divisions of the past, young entrants on the global stage of 
     freedom can offer an environment for pragmatic solutions. Mr. 
     Obama understands this. Two weeks after his election, he 
     called to discuss regional cooperation, nonproliferation 
     measures and energy cooperation. At that time, and many times 
     since in public statements, he has favored pragmatism as the 
     basis for civilized statecraft.
       Some have suggested this is an inadequate approach for 
     charting the new direction in foreign policy that Mr. Obama 
     has promised. However, I believe those criticisms are 
     misconceived. Pragmatism is necessary in nation-building and 
     more likely to evoke a positive response from allies than an 
     ideological crusade. Emerging democracies understand this 
     challenge, undertaking in decades an experiment that has 
     engaged America for much more than 200 years. Cooperative 
     leadership is the important role we can play and the example 
     we can set for others.

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