Bush inleder med att förklara att det under ett presidentskap oftast är säkerhetsfrågor som hamnar i fokus - och kamp mot globala sjukdomar ses många gånger som ett sidospår. Så var dock, och är inte fallet.
"America has a direct stake in the progress and hope of other nations", skriver president Bush. Many of the world's problems - terrorist networks, criminal gangs, drug syndicates, pandemic diseases - are no more than a half-day plane ride from the United States. These challenges tend to take root in hopeless, poorly controlled areas. This does not mean that promoting health and development is a substitute for confronting immediate threats. It does mean that no national security strategy is complete in the long run without promoting global health, political freedom and economic progress.
Han beskriver vidare hur han 2003 skapade PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) när det stod tydligt att subsahariska Afrika stod på gränsen till en katastrof på grund av HIV/AIDS. Bush skriver:
The disease was prevalent among teachers, nurses, factory workers, farmers, civil servants - the very people who make a society run. Drugs to treat the disease existed and were falling in price, but they could hardly be found in Africa.
Genom PEPFAR (och program som The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) - gavs dock Afrika hjälp. Och resultaten är tydliga. Bush fortsätter:
Early in 2003, there were perhaps 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa on AIDS treatment. Today, thanks to America, other donor nations and the tireless work of Africans themselves, nearly 4 million are. Fragile nations have been stabilized, making progress possible in other areas of development.
Han fortsätter vidare med att förklara vikten av fortsatt amerikanskt engagemang:
I firmly believe it has served American interests to help prevent the collapse of portions of the African continent. But this effort has done something more: It has demonstrated American character and beliefs. America is a certain kind of country, dedicated to the inherent and equal dignity of human lives. It is this ideal - rooted in faith and our founding - that gives purpose to our power. When we have a chance to do the right thing, we take it.
Avslutningsvis manar han kongressen att fortsätta kampen mot AIDS runtom i världen:
I am happily out of the political business. But I can offer some friendly advice to members of Congress, new and old. A thousand pressing issues come with each day. But there are only a few that you will want to talk about in retirement with your children. The continuing fight against global AIDS is something for which America will be remembered. And you will never regret the part you take.
Källa: Washington Post
Se även tidigare inlägg:
Erik Åsard recenserar "Decision Points" 20101130
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Sydafrika, fotbolls-VM och PEPFAR 20100715
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