The Foreign Service Journal, December 2011

A full-page ad signed by George Shultz, Madeleine Albright, John Whitehead, Strobe Talbott, John Ne- groponte and Thomas Pickering, to name but a few, appeared in the Oct. 4 editions of Politico, Roll Call, CQToday and The Hill . It contained the follow- ing statement: “Today’s national security chal- lenges are global in nature. Threats like terrorism, nuclear proliferation and pandemic disease respect no bor- ders. The United Nations can help provide the global reach and influence required to respond to, or ultimately help prevent, these threats from be- coming crises. A truly unique body, the U.N. offers us the ability to com- municate and collaborate with nearly 200 countries on a breadth of issues. “Whether providing famine relief, staunching nuclear proliferation, creat- ing arms embargoes, blocking the travel and financial support of rogue actors, establishing global standards to prevent money laundering, or curbing the spread of pandemics like avian flu, the U.N.’s work enables the United States to reap real national security benefits that advance American interests and make us safer and stronger here at home. Our economy also benefits, as the U.N. procures goods and services frommore than 3,000 businesses across the U.S. “No doubt, U.S. contributions to the U.N. must be judicious and prudent: accountability, transparency and effec- tiveness are essential for any organiza- tion, including the U.N. At the same time, our ability to burden share with other nations helps defray costs, pro- mote stability and enhance the impact of our resources. Withholding U.S. funding weakens both our influence and support for our national priorities, while strengthening the hands of our adversaries. “By actively using all of the real for- eign policy, national security and eco- nomic tools at our disposal, we help develop the international knowledge, capability and capacity required to help address challenges that, if left to fester, land on our doorstep. We, the under- signedRepublicans andDemocrats, be- lieve that support of the U.N. is one of themost cost-effective ways for theU.S. to successfully address global challenges and leverage our global leadership.” The statement was developed and released by Partnership for a Secure America, a nonprofit organization founded by former Representative Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., and Senator Warren Rudman, R-Maine, to advance biparti- sanship on critical national security and foreign policy challenges. — Steven Alan Honley, Editor Remembering Michael Hart On Sept. 6, not long after Project Gutenberg ( www.gutenberg.org ) celebrated its 40th anniversary — and we featured it as our September Site of the Month — its founder, Michael Stern Hart, died at the age of 64 from a heart attack. We noted in September that Hart developed the site, the oldest and largest collection of free e-books on the Web, in 1971 to make literature free and accessible to all. Fittingly, Project Gutenberg and go-to site Wikipedia ( www.guten berg.org/wiki/Michael_S._Hart ) both offer a memorial page featuring an obituary, eulogy, message from his family, links to some of his recent writ- ings and numerous tributes. The site also pledges to continue. In July, Hart wrote these words, which summarize his goals and his last- ing legacy: “One thing about e-books that most people haven’t thought much is that e-books are the very first thing that we’re all able to have as much of as we want other than air. Think about that for a moment and you realize we are in the right job.” Michael Hart was, indeed, in the right job. — Steven Alan Honley, Editor C Y B E R N O T E S 12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 Y our Oct. 4 front-page article, “Foreign Aid Faces Major Cutbacks in Budget Crisis,” worried me because, in my eight years as a global health ambassa- dor, I have learned that we live in an interconnected world. In 13 trips around the world, I have personally seen that defeating public health threats like malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and empowering reproductive health, do not just enrich lives abroad, but also have a direct impact on the quality of American lives at home. At less than 1 percent of the federal budget, investments in foreign aid strengthen the United States economy. Nearly 50 percent of American exports go to the developing world. One in three domestic manufacturing jobs depends on these exports. Such statistics are critical when, in my home state of Tennessee alone, unemployment is nearly 10 percent. By investing in public health, American taxpayers are giving men and women the chance to live more productive lives and participate in the global economy. And when that happens, everyone — from Mombasa to Manhattan — benefits. — Ashley Judd, actress and board member of PSI, a global health organiza- tion, in an Oct. 6 letter to the New York Times .