Committee on the Present Danger Backs the Advance Democracy Act

Here is the latest press release from the Committee on the Present Danger, of which I am a member. The Advance Democracy Act is a key piece of legislation that will strengthen America's ability to make our nation more secure by advancing the cause of liberty worldwide. And, I'm proud to say, Democracy Project's own Brent Tantillo, through his position at the Hudson Institute, played a key role in drafting this important legislation.

Committee on the Present Danger
contact: Barbara Dlugos
202/778-1032. E-mail: info@fightingterror.com

April 26, 2005

COMMITTEE ON THE PRESENT DANGER BACKS “ADVANCE DEMOCRACY” ACT

The Committee on the Present Danger has endorsed twin bills in the Senate and House which, if enacted, will constitute the Advance Democracy Act. The legislation is intended to expand the U.S. Government’s efforts to encourage democracy movements in non-democratic countries.

S. 516, sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ), and HR1133, sponsored by Representatives Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Tom Lantos (D-CA) would, according to a summary of the bills, promote freedom and democracy as a fundamental component of U.S. foreign policy in order “to see an end to dictatorial and other non-democratic forms of government, and to strengthen alliances with other democratic countries to better promote and defend shared values and ideals.”

Provisions of the bills would:

• Make permanent the State Department position of Undersecretary for Global Affairs, and an office of Democracy Movements and Transitions to be a point of contact for democracy movements in such countries;

• Create a Democracy Promotion Advisory Board to provide the knowledge of outside experts to the Department of State on democracy promotion. It would also conduct a study on the efficiency of current U.S. democracy assistance.

• Require from the Secretary of State an annual report on the status of democracy movements, including an action plan to promote transition to democracy in non-democratic countries. The bills anticipate that the State Department, in preparing the report, would confer with individuals and organizations within various democracy movements.

• Encourage U.S. ambassadors in such countries to make their embassies “islands of freedom” by meeting with representatives of democracy movements and speaking out on democracy and human rights, especially on college and university campuses;

• Establish a Congressional Democracy Award for U.S. Government officials who have made extraordinary efforts to promote democracy;

• Create an official democracy and human rights website, collecting materials relevant to the spread of democracy, including (in several languages) the Department of State’s annual report on International Religious Freedom, the annual Trafficking-in-Persons Report and the new annual Report on Democracy.

“The provisions of these bills are more than rhetoric,” commented CPD co-chairman R. James Woolsey. “They will provide solid encouragement in countries where democratic movements got a boost from the January 30 Iraq elections. In this day of instant communications by satellite television and the internet, no country can wall itself off from the spread of democracy. The events in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon are proof of that,” he said.

Former U.S. Ambassador Mark Palmer, lead author of the CPD’s Iran policy paper, is expected to testify in favor of the twin bills before committees of both houses of Congress this month.

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