. By ideology I mean set of public beliefs, the US orientation toward the world.

. First, there is the government, with different factions and viewpoints in Congress and the Executive Branch

. Next there are business associations,

. Which themselves overlap with Non Governmental Organizations assuming a wide swath of opinions

. Universities, think tanks and our famous “beltway bandits” form another powerful, energetic and diverse set of inputs

. And then there are the media of communication – the press, the radio, television – and less organized – the Internet.

. The views of Walter Russell Mead, in his book Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World, usefully divide US opinion on foreign policy into four schools of thought, named after four American statesmen

. Hamiltonian (protection of commerce)
. Jeffersonian (maintenance of a democratic system)
. Jacksonian (populist values, military strength)
. Wilsonian (moral principle)

. At any one time US foreign policy is dominated by one or more of these schools, or groups of opinion.

. When the current US administration took over, we saw the ascendancy of the Jacksonians – those who stressed the exercise of military strength and eschewed the more traditional US approach of support for international organizations and multilateral diplomacy and relied instead upon the threat and use of military options.

. There was also the growth of prominence in the views of the Wilsonians. The high school students among us will be particularly aware from their studies of how President Woodrow Wilson was identified with projecting American idealism abroad, defending moral principle.

. President Bush’s recent justification for US policy in the Middle East and South Asia relied heavily on the need to spread democracy and freedom in the world.

. At other times in recent US history, we have seen how the Hamiltonians predominated with their emphasis on expansion of trade in the world.

. NAFTA and the WTO are products of this school.

.The Jeffersonians, with concentration on the democratic system, were particularly prominent during the post-Vietnam years in the 1970’s, teaming up with the Wilsonians under President Carter to push for human rights in US foreign policy.

. Rather than a focus merely on goods production, participants in the new capitalism have met some success in reducing government and private impediments private enterprise.

. The World Bank and IMF have joined in the quest to allow more of the world’s population to engage in profitable enterprises, believing that the reduction of poverty will come only through giving people the chance to work themselves out of it.

. In the area of production, the new capitalism calls for means to provide capital – call it seed money if you like – to all levels of society to allow more production that leads to competition that reduces prices of goods.

. In the area of commerce and trade, again the principle of competition is at the fore.

. By reducing barriers to international commerce, goods may be had at lower prices.
. Cheaper prices for goods also reduces prices of distribution which also makes lower priced goods and services available to even the poorest.

. This is where well educated, well intentioned, positive individuals from many countries -- yourselves -- must examine the differing conceptions of how best to proceed in policy in the world.

. This is where your clarifications and understandings can be strengthened, allowing you to return to your countries, your schools and your professions to make your views known to political and civic leaders.

. And this is where you can make friends and acquaintances that you can stay in touch with and work – on all sides of the Atlantic – to influence the political debates in your respective countries.

. Leadership that does not furnish answers to our basic questions must be held accountable, whether on foreign policy, on taxation, on the environment, or on schools.

. A case in point is here in Miami. According to a State of Florida Oversight Board sponsored independent audit of the enormous Miami Dade County School District budget for school construction reported in yesterday’s newspapers, waste is rampant in the system and that mismanagement has cost taxpayers $100 million dollars.

• The School Board and administration have reacted defensively, impugning the credentials of the auditors, but the subject deserves more discussion and light thrown on the processes.
• School construction has long been suspect for poor administration if not corruption.

. I do not recommend the solution to corruption in municipal government that was undertaken in the southeastern Peruvian city of Llave on Monday.

. Responding to allegations that he and other public officials stole public money, residents took action.
. They seized the mayor, paraded him through the streets and handed him from a street lamp.
. Today’s newspapers reported that the army had intervened to restore order.

. I mention this latter example of citizens acting mainly to warn against the absurdity of extremes, but nevertheless wish to underscore the value of information and communication in matters of public policy, whether at the local, national or international levels.

. I would also like to draw attention to the importance of reducing corruption worldwide.

. More than $1 trillion dollars (US$1,000 billion) is paid in bribes each year, according to ongoing research at the World Bank.

. This does not include embezzlement of public funds or theft of public assets.

. The overall costs of corruption are a major obstacle to reducing poverty, inequality and infant mortality in emerging economies.

. And as we know, in varying degrees, corruption is present in every country.

. The internet is a valuable means to work against corruption, just as it has furnished us all with a low cost, efficient method of keeping in touch on any issue that is important to us a citizens

. We need to be vigilant that any attempts to control content other than at the extremes are exposed and resisted.

. This applies to us internationally as well as in our own home countries.

. Let us look again at international issues – especially those that have troubled the Atlantic relationship that was so essential and vibrant throughout the second half of the 20th century.

. US strategic interests have shifted toward the future, incorporating new power centers in Asia, especially China, and have taken a more activist and strategic stance in the Middle East.

. The rapidly growing economies are in Asia, while the larger economies of Europe remain moribund.

. The strong cultural and historical ties between the two largest and most traditionally “spokesman” countries of Europe and the US remained, but in the absence of a strategic reason to heed their views on a number of issues, the US opted to seek support among other European countries such as the UK, Spain and Poland on an important issue, the war in Iraq.

. Europe as a geographic region has slipped to third place among vital US interests and has lost importance as a single interlocutor.

. I anticipate that the US will continue to respect the integrity of the European Union in all of its legitimate aspects, but would be very surprised if US policy were to support the dominance of either French or German views on important matters of international security before the EU has agreed on such arrangements for itself.
. Naturally, if France were less intent upon establishing some form of EU counterweight to US power, there would be less questioning of the cohesion of European views.

. Returning now to the issues that have caused so much friction in the Atlantic relationship recently, I would name the following;

. US refusal to accept the International Criminal Court of Justice,
. US refusal to accept the obligations of the Kyoto Treaty dealing with the environment
. US non-proliferation policy with North Korea and Iran
. US policy in the Middle East
. US led war in Iraq

. I would suggest that much of the direction of US policy on these items, with the exception of the Iraq war, was set long before the current administration took office.

. Under President Clinton, the Senate had already indicated it would not accept the jurisdiction of the Criminal Court, owing to the frivolous and mischievous suits against US troops that it would invite.
. The overly ambitious and economically unsupportable Kyoto Treaty was already dead on arrival in the Senate and giving second thoughts to some other non-European OECD countries.
. The Non-Proliferation Treaty was already shown to be without teeth in India, Pakistan, North Korea and Iran
. The Palestinians had miscalculated their own strength in negotiations with Israel, rejecting the best deal they could have expected.
. In the case of Iraq, UN sanctions were crumbling under disregard by other nations, corruption in the UN in administration of oil contracts and continuing reports of nuclear and biological warfare programs.

• That these Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction programs later turned out to be chimeras is another matter
• The point is that US concerns over Iraq had been increasing during the 1990’s and that many of these concerns were shared by European and other governments.

. The current US administration was able to take action on these long standing US concerns in part because it entered office without the domestic political weakness that had characterized the final three years of its predecessor.

. Where I believe that the US administration made huge errors in international relations, however, wais in its inept conduct of diplomacy over the past three years on the issues I just named.

. Now diplomacy can range from a mere respect for generally accepted forms of politeness in international public discourse on the one hand to
. An abject willingness to compromise on the substance of every issue.
. My criticism would be toward the manner in which differences among countries on these issues – which have been real and substantial in some cases – have been expressed and managed.

. Remember the distinction we made earlier among the difference sectors of US opinion on foreign policy?
. Typically – not always – the Jacksonian sector seems to believe that boasting and unvarnished public assertion of its views is the best way to have them prevail.
. The extreme American transparency of debate and public openness on all issues – made even more “direct from the horse’s mouth” by electronic media – elevates even barroom style commentary to the level of public discourse.
. A government under these circumstances has a fundamental obligation to set the tone on major issues, something the current US administration -- and to a lesser degree certain European administrations – failed to do properly.

. That’s where the activity of groups such as TIES – Trans Atlantic Information Exchange System – assume such importance.

. If you and the hundreds of thousands of people with opinions who are potentially linked to you communicate with each other.
. If you demand information on issues from our governments
. If you seek clarity and understanding through reason among each other on the issues
. If you hold to principle of respect for the individual and his culture,
. And you express your views effectively through the broadcast and print media as well,
. You will have a tremendous positive effect on the course of events in the world.

. Let us put the last few minutes of thoughts together

. First, realize that there will always be change that includes social and economic ferment.

. That is the nature of things and it opens up new and better possibilities for all of us, especially young people.
. Change nevertheless threatens entrenched interests; it creates uncertainties that you need to understand even as you work your own situation and that of other people.

. Second, continue to demand clarity and information from your leaders on policies across the board.

. On international issues, this includes matters of war and peace

. Third, maintain and expand international communication on all issues.

. Look for the reasons behind the political rhetoric
. Try to understand the motivations of other countries
. In the case of the US, realize that we have now entered what seasoned politicians call “the silly season” – the electoral period, the run up to the November elections.
. That means in one sense for those living abroad, not to be alarmed about US intentions as expressed by various candidates for office.
. But it also means that US voters must attempt for pin down the views of their candidates.

. Fourth, keep your ideals and your commitment to improving your lives and helping others better their own.

. The world is very dynamic, even in such vacation spots as Miami, where the natives party hard and work hard.

. People here are very internationally minded and it is the presence of you, our visitors that helps keep our perceptions sharpened and our approaches laced with a greater appreciation of humanity.

. As an American, as a Floridian, but more importantly as a citizen of the world – like all of us – I welcome you to Miami and to the continued communication that we hope to have strengthened at this TIES Congress.