    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [November 6, 2005]
    [Pages 1661-1665]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Democracy in the Americas in Brasilia
    November 6, 2005

        Thank you. Boa tarde. Thank you for coming. This is my first trip to
    Brazil, and Laura and I are really pleased to be
    here in your capital city. We've had a magnificent stay, had a great
    visit with President Lula. It's an
    important visit because Brazil and the United States are close friends.
    And that's the way it should be. Plus the President and the First
    Lady gave us an unbelievably
    good barbeque. [Laughter] I also commend the President for his
    commitment to improving the lives of the people here in Brazil.
        Our two nations share many things in common. We are both children of
    the New World, founded in empire and fulfilled in independence. We're
    united by history and geography. We share the conviction that the future
    of our hemisphere must be a future of justice and freedom.
        Only a generation ago, this was a continent plagued by military
    dictatorship and civil war. Yet the people of this continent defied the
    dictators, and they claimed their liberty. We saw the dramatic evidence
    at the Summit of the Americas that President Lula and I just attended. The delegates from 34 countries
    that came to this conference all represent democratic governments.
        Freedom is the gift of the Almighty to every man and woman in this
    world, and today, this vision is the free consensus of a free Americas.
    It is a vision that is written into the founding document of the
    Organization of American States, which calls this hemisphere--calls on
    the hemisphere ``to offer to man a land of liberty and a favorable
    environment for the realization of his just aspirations.'' It is the
    vision that is given clear direction in the Inter-American Democratic
    Charter, which declares, ``The peoples of the Americas have a right to
    democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend
    it.'' And it is a vision that puts what was once a distant dream within
    our reach, an Americas wholly free and democratic and at peace with
    ourselves and our neighbors.
        As the largest democracy in South America, Brazil is a leader, and
    today, Brazil is exercising its leadership across the globe. In Africa,
    Brazil is working to defeat the scourge of HIV/AIDS by partnering with
    America to improve treatment and care and prevention in Portuguese-
    speaking nations like Mozambique. In this hemisphere, Brazil leads the
    coalition of the United Nations peacekeeping forces who are helping to
    restore peace and stability in Haiti. And here at home, Brazil aspires
    to set an example for the continent by building a just social order
    where the blessings of liberty are enjoyed by every citizen of this
    great nation.
        Ensuring social justice for the Americas requires choosing between
    two competing visions. One offers a vision of hope. It is founded on
    representative government, integration into the world community, and a
    faith in the transformative power of freedom in individual lives. The
    other seeks to roll back the democratic progress of the past two decades
    by playing to fear, pitting neighbor against neighbor, and blaming
    others for their own failures to provide for their people. The choices
    we make will determine which vision will define the Americas our
    children inherit, and we must make tough decisions today to ensure a
    better tomorrow.
        As you work for a better tomorrow, Brazil must know you have a
    strong partner in the United States. Like you, we aspire for a
    hemisphere where the dignity of every human being is respected. Like
    you, we believe that the poor and disenfranchised have a special claim
    on our attention. And like you, we know that we must make good on the
    promises of democracy. In the

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    Americas of the 21st century, freedom is the gateway to social justice,
    and democracies old and new must work together to build a hemisphere
    that delivers hope and opportunity for every citizen.
        Our common ideal of social justice begins with self-government. The
    promise of democracy starts with national pride and independence and
    elections, but it does not end there. A country that divides into
    factions and dwells on old grievances cannot move forward and risks
    sliding back into tyranny. A country that unites all its people behind
    common ideals will multiply in strength and confidence. The successful
    democracies of the 21st century will not be defined by blood and soil.
    Successful democracies will be defined by a broader ideal of
    citizenship, based on shared principles and shared responsibilities and
    respect for all.
        For my own country, the process of becoming a mature, multiethnic
    democracy was lengthy. My country's journey from national independence
    to equal justice for all meant overcoming the enslavement of millions
    and a 4-year civil war. Even after slavery ended, a century passed
    before the guarantee of equal rights under the law was finally made
    real. Racial division almost destroyed my country, and the citizens of
    the United States learned the false doctrine of ``separate but equal''
    was no basis for a strong and unified America. The only way my country
    found to rise above the injustices of our history was to reject
    segregation, to move beyond mere tolerance, and to affirm the
    brotherhood of all people in our land.
        Each democracy has its own character and culture that reflect its
    unique traditions and history. Yet all free and successful countries
    share some common characteristics: Freedom to worship, freedom of the
    press, freedom of speech, economic liberty, equal justice under the rule
    of law, equal citizenship for all, and the limitation of state power
    through checks and balances. In many parts of our hemisphere, these
    institutions of a free society are still young, and they are fragile,
    and we must ensure that they are strong for the tasks ahead. To deliver
    justice, the people must have confidence in their institutions, and we
    must replace the rule of man with the rule of law.
        Some today suggest that democracy has outlived its usefulness. They
    have misread history. The Americas has declared democracy indispensable
    for the exercise of human rights. It is the only region in the world
    that imposes an obligation to defend democracy. For all the growing
    pains, it is a miracle of history that this young century finds us
    speaking about the consolidation of freedom throughout our hemisphere.
    We must continue our work to help strengthen the institutions of liberty
    because we know that freedom is the only way to ensure that our citizens
    can lead lives of purpose and dignity. And without democracy there can
    be no social justice, because only democracy offers a place at the table
    for every member of society.
        Our common ideal of social justice must include a better life for
    all our citizens. As elections and democracies have spread across our
    hemisphere, we see a revolution in expectations. In free societies,
    citizens will rightly insist that people should not go hungry, that
    every child deserves the opportunity for a decent education, and that
    hard work and initiative should be rewarded. And with each new
    generation that grows up in freedom and democracy, these expectations
    rise and the demands for accountability grow. Either democracies will
    meet these legitimate demands, or we will yield the future to the
    enemies of freedom.
        The nations of this hemisphere have a moral obligation to help
    others. They have a moral obligation to educate their children and to
    provide decent health care. We have a moral duty to make sure our
    actions are effective. At Monterrey in 2002, the world agreed to a new
    vision for the way we

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    fight poverty and curb corruption and provide aid in this new
    millennium. Developing countries agreed to take responsibility for their
    own economic progress through good governance and sound practices and
    the rule of law, and developed countries agreed to support these
    efforts.
        My country has sought to implement the Monterrey consensus by
    changing the way we deliver aid. We have established a new Millennium
    Challenge Account that increases aid for nations that govern justly,
    that invest in the education and health of their people, and promote
    economic freedom. Recently we signed compacts delivering aid--Millennium
    Challenge aid to Honduras and Nicaragua. This new aid will help those
    countries improve their roads and diversify their crops and strengthen
    property rights and make their rural businesses more competitive. And in
    the years ahead, under the leadership of Ambassador
    Danilovich, we hope more countries will
    follow their example.
        My country has also stepped up to meet the humanitarian challenges
    facing our region and the world by providing millions of dollars
    bilaterally, especially for education of the children. We understand
    that you cannot achieve economic prosperity and social justice without
    educating the children of a country. We also support the Global Fund for
    HIV/AIDS, to provide care and prevention and support for those suffering
    from the pandemic. At the 2004 special summit in Mexico, the leaders of
    our hemisphere, including President Lula and me, made a commitment to provide lifesaving
    treatment for at least 600,000 individuals by the next Summit of the
    Americas. We worked together. We have shown our words are not empty
    promises. We have helped deliver treatment to more than 670,000 people
    in this hemisphere, which surpasses our goal of helping those with HIV/
    AIDS. And there is more work to be done.
        As we expand and improve aid, we are also working to improve the
    Inter-American Development Bank. Since it was established, this bank has
    played a major role in the economic development of Latin America and the
    Caribbean. But as the economies of the Americas further develop, the
    bank has to change with them. The beginning of President Moreno's tenure gives us a great opportunity to
    modernize the bank by taking better advantage of global capital markets
    and by tailoring the bank's programs to the real needs of the growing
    economies on this continent. The private sector is the engine of growth
    and job creation in this region. The bank must greatly strengthen its
    role in private sector investment, especially in small businesses, which
    are the backbone of a healthy and growing economy. I have asked the
    United States Treasury Secretary John Snow to
    work with his counterparts in the hemisphere and at the bank to
    implement reforms that will ensure that the bank better addresses the
    needs for economic growth and job creation. They will also discuss a
    range of options, including giving grants and debt relief for the
    poorest of nations.
        Increasing aid and relieving debt are important parts of our efforts
    to lift the burden of poverty from places of suffering, yet they are not
    enough. Our goal is to promote opportunity for people throughout the
    Americas, whether you live in Minnesota or Brazil. And the best way to
    do this is by expanding free and fair trade.
        The United States, Mexico, and Canada took a first step with what's
    called NAFTA. And trade between our countries has tripled in 10-year
    period. Our hemisphere has sought to build on this example by committing
    ourselves to the Free Trade of the Americas that would eliminate
    barriers across the entire hemisphere, and I appreciate President
    Lula's discussion with me today
    about working to see if we can't make that become a reality. The United
    States has also made substantial advances toward the goal of hemispheric
    free trade through bilateral trade agreements with partners such as
    Chile. And 3 months ago, we

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    passed through our Congress a trade agreement with the nations of
    Central America and the Dominican Republic that gives the people of that
    region jobs and opportunities that come with freer trade and more
    investment.
        And at this moment, we're working hard to advance negotiations with
    the Andean countries and Panama. By working for free and--I repeat--fair
    trade across this hemisphere, we will bring all our people into the
    expanding circle of development. We'll make it easier for those of us
    who live in this hemisphere to compete with countries like China and
    India. But most importantly, trade means jobs for people.
        The best opportunity to deliver the blessings of trade to every
    citizen in this hemisphere is the Doha round of negotiations in the
    World Trade Organization. A successful Doha round will open up markets
    for farm products and services and industrial goods across this
    hemisphere and across the globe. Under Doha, every nation will gain, and
    the developing world stands to gain the most. The World Bank estimates
    that if the Doha round passes, 300 million people will be lifted from
    poverty. We know that from history that developing nations that open
    themselves up to trade grow at several times the rate of countries that
    practice protectionism. And the stakes are high--they're really high.
    The lives and futures of millions of poor people across the globe hang
    in the balance, and so we must bring the Doha trade talks to a
    successful conclusion.
        The greatest obstacles to a successful Doha round are the countries
    that stand firm in the way of dismantling the tariffs and barriers and
    trade-distorting subsidies that isolate the poor on this continent from
    the great opportunities of the 21st century. Only an ambitious reform
    agenda in agriculture and manufactured goods and services can ensure
    that the benefits of free and fair trade are enjoyed by all people in
    all countries.
        We agree with Brazil that the agricultural negotiations will unlock
    the full potential of the Doha round. Your President has criticized the
    agricultural subsidies that the developed world pays to its farmers,
    trade-distorting subsidies that undercut honest farmers in the
    developing world. I agree with President Lula, and the United States is leading the way to address
    this problem.
        My administration has offered a bold proposal for Doha that would
    substantially reduce agricultural tariffs and trade-distorting
    subsidies, in a first stage, and over a period of 15 years, eliminate
    them altogether. Leaders who are concerned about the harmful effects of
    high tariffs and farm subsidies must move the Doha round forward. And
    leaders who want to make progress on agricultural subsidies must use
    their influence to help the WTO make progress on all aspects of the Doha
    round. By completing Doha, we will help build an Americas that lives in
    liberty, trades in freedom, and grows in prosperity.
        Finally, our common ideal is--of social justice requires safety and
    security for all our citizens. In many parts of this hemisphere, drug
    lords and terrorists and criminal gangs corrupt democratic societies.
    When these groups are more powerful than the state, there can be no
    social justice. So the United States is working with affected countries
    to restore the rule of law and ensure the safety of ordinary citizens.
    We are working with the Government of Mexico to stop the smugglers who
    traffic in everything from guns to human beings. We are helping
    President Uribe and the Colombian people
    defeat the cocaine cartels and narcoterrorists. We're providing money to
    help honest farmers grow legitimate crops. We're working with our
    partners in this region to stop terrorist organizations from using this
    hemisphere as a base to launder money and to provide support for their
    operations across the globe.
        By protecting the people of the Americas from those who operate
    outside the law,

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    we strengthen democracy, we promote social justice, and we make
    prosperity more likely. Citizens who live in fear for their lives
    because of drug lords and terrorists and criminal gangs are not free
    citizens. So we must continue to work for the day that all citizens can
    count on their governments to protect them from criminals and advance
    the peace and stability that can only come from freedom.
        In the last half-century, the nations of the Americas have overcome
    enormous challenges, colonialism and communism and military
    dictatorship. The progress we have achieved is the result of tremendous
    sacrifice and leadership. One such leader was the man who built this
    beautiful capital as the symbol of Brazilian democracy. President
    Kubitschek was forced into exile when antidemocratic forces seized
    control in Brazil. His dream, he said, was to live and die in a free
    country. At the start of this hopeful new century, the dream of this
    proud patriot inspires citizens not only in this country but all around
    the continent.
        The citizens of the Americas look to us, the elected leaders, to
    make his dream a reality and to lead by example. Governments across this
    hemisphere must be strong, must listen to the people, and must not
    squander their money. Governments across this hemisphere must be free of
    corruption. Governments across this hemisphere must be accountable, and
    we must live by the same standard we set for others. By making the
    blessings of freedom real in our hemisphere, we will advance the cause
    of social justice and set a shining example for the rest of the world.
        Thank you for allowing me to come and address you. May God bless
    Brazil. May God continue to bless our Nation, America. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:23 p.m. at the Blue Tree Park Hotel. In
    his remarks, he referred to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of
    Brazil, and his wife, Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva; Luis Alberto Moreno
    Mejia, president, Inter-American Development Bank; and President Alvaro
    Uribe Velez of Colombia. The Office of the Press Secretary also released
    a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.