American Exceptionalism Comes up Short in Obama's State of the Union

[Guest guest]

American Exceptionalism Comes up Short in Obama’s State of the Union

 

Jan. 25, 2011 – Washington, D.C. – By all indications, tonight’s State of the Union address will be a disappointing reminder that President Obama has taken his eye off of America’s global obligations in the areas of global health and development.

 

“Over the past decade, the United States has been a shining model to the rest of the world in working with countries to develop strong and sustainable country-led programs,” says Dr. Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. “Because of those efforts, the world stands at the brink of ending pediatric AIDS forever. Yet instead of building upon the values exemplified by American exceptionalism – regardless of a difficult fiscal environment – President Obama has instead chosen to shrink from America’s obligations.”

 

A half century ago this month, President Kennedy offered a different vision for America, that it would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,” he said. “To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required … because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”

 

Yet America now is losing sight of its leadership on the global stage, overlooking opportunities to lead by example. For instance, Congress last month failed to pass bills to stop child marriage and violence against women. And America’s pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria last October was just $4 billion over 3 years – or $2 billion short of the U.S. fair share. By comparison, the U.S. has chosen to forego $68 billion through recent changes to the estate tax that exempt inheritances of $5 million or more.

 

The Global Fund is the world’s most effective and transparent international organizations and has saved the lives of more than 6 million people infected with AIDS, TB and malaria. A wire story this week – based on information reported transparently by the Global Fund itself last year – detailed corruption in four of the Global Fund’s 145 grant-receiving countries, erroneously implying it is widespread. The story failed to state this occurred in less than 3/10ths of 1% of the Global Fund’s grants and that most of the money has been recovered due to the strong work of its inspector general.

 

The U.S. shortfall to the Global Fund contributed to a dire level of pledges overall, forcing the Global Fund to scale-back its programs, rather than scale-up or maintain treatment levels. The result is that 3 million HIV-infected people will go without anti-retroviral treatment (ART), leaving 500,000 babies vulnerable to transmission from their mothers, adding to the world’s burden.

 

“President Obama’s world view is off kilter,” says Dr. Zeitz, pointing to advances made by the previous administration through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). “Instead of establishing a strong framework that emphasizes American values and U.S. global leadership, this administration is pinching pennies at a real cost in human lives. The U.S. commitment to fight global HIV/AIDS is a rare issue that cuts across political lines, where Republicans and Democrats have stood together in support of American exceptionalism. For a relative pittance financially, America can help save millions of lives, enhance its international status and protect vulnerable nations from collapse. It is not too late for the Obama Administration and Congress to do the right thing.”

 

One opportunity is the International AIDS Conference, scheduled to convene in Washington, D.C., during July 2012. In the run-up to the event, President Obama could make a significant contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS through, for instance, a well-funded policy to end pediatric HIV/AIDS once and for all.

 

+++++++++

The Global AIDS Alliance, the signature program of the Global Peace Action Network, seeks to mobilize a comprehensive and compassionate response to the global AIDS crisis while addressing the epidemic’s links to social justice issues such as poverty and gender inequity. We demand faster, bolder action and concrete results for people living with HIV/AIDS and at risk of HIV infection.

 

Contact Stern: 202-789-0432 ext.211, jstern@...