Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky Democracy, Good Governance Necessary For Sustainable Development, Diplomat Says by John Shaw Paula J. Dobriansky is fond of quoting Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill. But she has recently also taken to quoting the Roman poet Horace, who admonished his contemporaries in the first century B.C. that their ìown safety is at stake when your neighborís wall is ablaze.î Dobriansky, the undersecretary of state for global affairs, has been trying to put out a lot of fires from her post at Foggy Bottom in Washington. But she is also seeking to plant some seeds as the Bush administrationís key diplomat on a wide range of global issues. She heads up the State Departmentís global affairs office, which coordinates U.S. policy over a broad range of areas, including democracy, human rights, labor, environment, science, narcotics control, migration, law enforcement, international health, and refugee, trafficking and womenís issues. ìItís a vast portfolio,î she said in an interview at her office on the seventh floor of the State Department. ìThe issues are interrelated in a number of ways. These global issues are well integrated into our core foreign policy agenda. They are part of our security agenda.î Dobriansky says that global issues are not limited by borders or boundaries and reach across international lines to affect people across the planet. ìThese global issues are all interrelated. You just canít pick up one or two priorities. You have to deal with them all.î Established during the Clinton administration, the global affairs office is the State Departmentís central point of contact with the world on some of the most pressing global issues. As such, it works closely with other nations on important projects and a host of transnational issues. It has also been at the receiving end of sharp criticism for what many nations describe as the unilateralist orientation of the Bush administration. Presiding over four bureaus, three offices and the U.S. relationship with Tibet, Dobriansky is involved in complex and diverse issues that extend from the depths of the worldís oceans to the peaks of the Himalayas. She is convinced that wise short-term policies yield positive long-term results. ìThe actions we take now will have consequences for the medium-term and the long-term. What we do now lays an important foundation for the direction and course of events in the future. What we do now will have ramifications,î she said. Friendly, energetic and passionate, Dobriansky is a rising star in the Bush administration and a veteran of American diplomacy. Before serving as undersecretary for global affairs, she was a senior vice president and director of the Washington office of the Council on Foreign Relations. An expert on Russian and Eurasian affairs, Dobriansky also served as senior international affairs and trade adviser to the law firm of Hunton & Williams. In addition, she has held a number of government posts, including deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights, director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council, and associate director for policy and programs at the U.S. Information Agency. Dobriansky studied international politics at Georgetownís School of Foreign Service and received a masterís degree and doctorate in Soviet political-military affairs from Harvard. She has won a number of prestigious awards, including the State Departmentís Superior Honor Award and Polandís Highest Medal of Merit. As she discusses the array of issues she is dealing with, Dobriansky sees enormous possibilities and tremendous difficulties. She often refers to the daunting trends outlined by the National Intelligence Council in a report called Global Trends 2015. It argues that the growth of transnational problems, such as health, water, humanitarian crises, human rights abuses, repression and environmental degradation, could lead to economic and financial volatility, legal and illegal migration, and fierce competition for scarce resources. These, Dobriansky said, are the 21st-century blaze that must be contained. But she also sees a real opportunity to lay the foundation for a prosperous future in the United States and across the world. She said the essential goal of American foreign policy is the promotion of democracy, stability, security and prosperity. She noted that democracy helps make all the other objectives achievable. ìOur positive agenda is the promotion of democracy. It does have relevance for every other area. In the United States, we have certain experiences we can and do share. But we do it in a cooperative way,î she said. According to Dobriansky, U.S. foreign policy must be flexible enough to respect other countriesí traditions and values while simultaneously advancing the principles of democracy and human rights that have become universally recognized. She said the United States doesnít accept the view that some nations arenít ready for democracy. The Bush administration, however, has been criticized for supporting democracy unevenly. Some critics say, for example, that the administration has called for the ouster of Yasser Arafat even if a majority of the Palestinian people support him. Dobriansky said that support of democratic institutions and good government is the centerpiece of the Bush foreign policy, adding that development aid should be provided only to those nations that have legitimate political systems and strong domestic policies. Democracy and good governance are also vital for sustainable development, she said, declaring that America is a vigorous champion of environmentally sound development. ìThe United States is the worldís leader in sustainable development. No nation has made a greater and more concrete contribution to sustainable development.î Dobrianskyís portfolio includes a range of health issues, and she has been active in coordinating American proposals to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. She said HIV/AIDS must be seen as both a health issue and a hugely consequential international security challenge as well, noting that the devastating impact of this disease is crushing political, economic and social development in many countries. ìWe are gravely concerned about trends,î Dobriansky said, citing a grim parade of statistics. She noted that 8,000 people die every day from HIV/AIDS and that more than 3 million perished last year from the disease. More than 40 million are living with the disease now, including nearly 3 million children, she added. Dobriansky advocates a multilayered response to this crisis, including multilateral and bilateral programs and initiatives by nongovernmental organizations and corporations. She also noted that the United States has played a crucial leadership role in confronting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. ìThe United States was the first to come forwardólast Mayówhen the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] was announced. And we have contributed more than any other country in terms of bilateral aid. But itís not only money. Financial contributions need to be matched with thoughtful programs and projects that will have the most desirable impact on the ground,î Dobriansky said ìOur goal is to prevent, to provide treatment and care, and then ultimately find a cure,î she declared. One of Dobrianskyís central convictions revolves around the importance of partnerships between governments, the private sector and NGOs. She said creative partnerships are crucial in tackling HIV/AIDS and other narrower issues. For example, Dobriansky is the co-chair of the U.S.-Afghan Womenís Council that was created early this year to promote public and private partnerships between America and Afghanistan and mobilize resources to help Afghan women develop practical skills. She proudly described a targeted computer education project that is helping 18 Afghan women upgrade their computer- and grant-writing skills. In addition, Dobriansky was a key member of the Bush administrationís delegation to the recent U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the summit, she described the administrationís new initiatives regarding water for the poor, clean energy, hunger reduction in Africa, forest development in the Congo Basin, and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Johannesburg summit was envisioned as a historic opportunity to refocus the worldís attention on environmental challenges and poverty. The United States joined 190 nat ions in supporting the conferenceís action plan, which set broad timetables for improving sanitation, reducing chemical pollution, and protecting endangered species. The Johannesburg plan calls on nations to reduce by half the proportion of poor people who lack sanitation and access to safe drinking water by 2015, to minimize health and environmental problems caused by chemical pollution by 2020, and to significantly reduce the number of endangered species by 2010. There were also pledges to protect rain forests, combat AIDS, expand education, and ease hunger using an array of private foundations, private companies and wealthy nations, including the United States. The Bush administration came under sharp criticism during the conference, with delegates citing President George Bushís noticeable absence. Other critics said his administration has resisted firm environmental goals and timetables. Some analysts believe that much of the anger at the summit was rooted in the United Statesís opposition to the Kyoto Protocol to combat global warming, as well as its cooperation with OPEC in derailing a push by the European Union and Brazil to set a global target for producing energy from renewable sources. Dobriansky, however, praised the conference for crafting a ìtruly global documentî that has ìbrought us to the brink of a new era of sustainable development.î But she added that itís important for the global community to move beyond words and take concrete steps to improve peopleís lives. ìWe are pleased with the outcome in Johannesburg. We focused on concrete results designed to improve the quality of life in the developing world, with a particular emphasis on access to clean water and sanitation and affordable energy, as well as better nutrition,î she said. ìImportantly, all of these goals are to be advanced through public-private partnerships.î One of a half dozen undersecretaries of state, Dobriansky attends daily meetings with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, his senior staff, and other undersecretaries and assistant secretaries. Coordinating her work with other parts of the State Department, Dobriansky said she runs a disciplined office that focuses on achieving practical results. ìMy day is very preoccupied with charting a course, charting an agenda, developing concrete initiatives,î she said. ìMy own orientation is a very practical oneóto find ways and means so the U.S. can take steps in tandem with the private sector, in tandem with other countries, to take concrete steps to improve the lives of people. Our orientation here is very practically focusedómoving in an active and results-oriented way that is grounded in core principles,î she added. Every six months or so, Dobriansky steps back from her work and assesses what her office is accomplishing and how she is allocating her time. ìIím pretty vigilant about managing my time and my commitment to these issues,î Dobriansky said. ìThis job is a challenge. Iím focused on doing the job wellóin such a way that positively influences lives but also trends. Iím very focused on the here and now.î John Shaw is a contributing writer to The Washington Diplomat.