SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS ON RELEASE OF MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKIY

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Release of Mikhail Khodorkovskiy
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 20, 2013

We welcome the pardon and release from prison of Mikhail Khodorkovskiy. We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about due process violations and selective prosecution in Russia, including against Khodorkovskiy and his business partner Platon Lebedev, who remains in prison.

The United States strongly encourages Russia to pursue reforms that establish a transparent, independent, and reliable judicial system that upholds its commitments to human rights, the rule of law, and non-discrimination.

We welcome the amnesty approved on the 20th anniversary of Russia's constitution. The United States supports the rights of all Russians to exercise their freedoms of expression, association, assembly, and belief, regardless of their political views. These rights are enshrined in the Russian Constitution as well as in international agreements to which Russia has committed itself. They are universal values, and their protection is a fundamental responsibility of all governments.

AGREEMENT NOT REACHED ON PROTECTING THE ROSS SEA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
Results of the Special Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 16, 2013

I regret that the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was not able to reach agreement on establishing marine protected areas, including in the Ross Sea Region, but we’ll soon get another bite at the apple and a formulation for protecting the Ross Sea can and will be found, period.

There's simply no comprehensive effort to protect earth's most critical resource that doesn't include an equally comprehensive effort to create marine protected areas (MPAs). That’s why the United States and New Zealand proposed the creation of these areas in the Ross Sea Region. A tremendous amount of work has gone into developing the science that underpins our joint proposal, and to leverage action, we'll be doubling down on sharing the findings of our scientists who spend those critical months in the dead of winter at McMurdo Station researching and understanding the realties that face all of us.

This is a longtime passion of mine and it's an imperative for me as Secretary of State. I’ve seen firsthand how acidification, pollution, and sea level rise tear at the fabric of our economies, our communities, even our security. But this isn’t just a personal priority. The Ross Sea is a natural laboratory. Its ecosystem is as diverse as it is productive, and we have a responsibility to protect it as environmental stewards—just as we do the rest of the ocean.

President Obama has put climate change and environmental conservation on the front burner where it belongs, and we have a responsibility to keep it there. Yes, the road has been harder than we hoped. But I am pleased that so many countries were willing to work together towards this crucial objective. While they were not able to reach full agreement at this meeting to designate MPAs for Antarctica, they came close. The majority of CCAMLR members were able to find common ground. We didn't agree on all of the specifics, but there's an emerging consensus that the Antarctic region requires protection.

GEN. NAPPER SPEAKS ABOUT CYBER INTEROPERABILITY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Old Policies Inhibit Cyber Interoperability, Official Says

By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

BALTIMORE, June 27, 2013 - Policies that inhibit interoperability in the cyber domain with coalition partners and other agencies are worthy of re-examination, a senior U.S. Cyber Command official said at the 2013 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association cyber symposium here yesterday.


Army Maj. Gen. Jennifer L. Napper, Cybercom's director of plans and policy, said reassessing the purpose of information sharing comes down to setting basic standards for connectivity and operability.

Napper said the initial policies came to be during a time that predated modern technology, which now more astutely determines that only people on a "need-to-know" basis can access certain information. "We're beyond that," said the general told the audience. "We can do role-based identity management today. We can tag data. We can make sure we can share."

The task at hand now, Napper said, is transitioning from legacy systems into a more open data environment that allows officials to tag data so access it is based on identity management. Getting consensus on standards and then setting and sticking to those standards will facilitate information sharing with international partners in various capacities, initiatives and operations, she added.

As cyberspace plays a more prominent role in partnerships, particularly with Russia and China, cooperation among the U.S. government, industry and other nations will become increasingly vital. "This, more than any other area, must be a team sport," Napper said.

PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTS MORE CUTS IN NUCLEAR ARSENALS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Obama Calls for Further Cuts in Nuclear Arms
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2013 - President Barack Obama today announced his intention to seek deeper cuts in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, provided Russia is willing to negotiate similar reductions.


In an address before several thousand people at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, Obama said a comprehensive review has determined America can ensure its own safety and that of its allies by reducing the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal by up to one-third.

"I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures," he said, and repeated the goal he articulated in 2009 of "pursuing the security of a world without nuclear weapons, no matter how distant that dream may be."

U.S. officials said the proposed cuts would take the number of strategic warheads for both countries below the limit of 1,550 established by the 2010 New START Treaty, provided Russia is willing to agree to those levels as well. Administration officials said the reductions would still leave the United States with a credible nuclear deterrent as well as strategic stability with Russia and China, while reducing the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy.

"At the same time, we'll work with our NATO allies to seek bold reductions in U.S. and Russian tactical weapons in Europe," the president said, and he added that the United States will host a summit in 2016 "to continue our efforts to secure nuclear materials around the world" while working to build support in the United States for ratification of the long-stalled Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Obama also touched on a theme he raised during a counterterrorism address he delivered last month, stressing again the need to remain vigilant about the terror threat, while moving beyond "a mindset of perpetual war."

"In America, that means redoubling our efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo," he said. "It means tightly controlling our use of new technologies like drones. It means balancing the pursuit of security with the protection of privacy," the latter being a reference to recently disclosed data-mining programs run by the National Security Agency that administration officials say have prevented more than 50 terrorist attacks since 9/11.

STATE DEPARTMENT ON GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY FOR URBAN LEADERS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Global Connectivity for Urban Leaders
Remarks
Reta Jo Lewis
Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs
German Marshall Fund (GMF)
Washington, DC
May 21, 2013

Good afternoon everybody and thank you Geraldine for that kind introduction.

It is a sincere privilege to be with all of you today. I appreciate that you have taken the time to join this discussion about the global engagement of local leaders.

I would like to take a moment to thank the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Leadership Initiative and Urban and Regional Policy Program for hosting us today. Many thanks to Geraldine and Kevin Cottrell and their teams. I would also like to thank Lora Berg for arranging this program. I have had the privilege to collaborate with Lora when she was at the State Department and it’s great to work with her again.

As the Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, I lead the U.S. Department of State’s efforts to collaborate with state and local leaders and their counterparts abroad to meet U.S. foreign policy goals and to foster economic, cultural, and educational relationships. My office is charged with building strategic peer-to-peer relationships with U.S. state and local officials and their foreign counterparts around the world.

As you are aware, urbanization is occurring at an unprecedented rate, especially in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Fifty-two percent of the earth’s population now lives in cities. Every week one million people move to cities. Continued rapid urbanization will lead to three billion new urban dwellers. As an article in the Economist stated in 2011, "Cities, rather than states, are becoming the islands of governance on which the future world order will be built."

In this context, pragmatic global partnerships that focus on solutions are essential to solving global challenges, such as climate change, human trafficking, poverty, food security, governance and transnational crime.

U.S. foreign policy traditionally has focused on nation-to-nation relationships. But the scope of what defines nation-to-nation conversations are shifting in the modern, more global, and more flattened world – rendering city-to-city, and state-to-state dialogues just as critical to the larger context of executing, implementing, and achieving a nation’s overarching diplomatic goals.

Building peer-to-peer relationships between state and local elected officials has a direct effect on foreign policy that often goes unrecognized. Building these relationships and encouraging these engagements at the subnational level has the potential to be a force multiplier, expanding the reach and effectiveness of soft power.

Peer-to-peer relationships provide state and local leaders around the globe with an intimate glance into the American way of life, and more importantly, into our democratic institutions and system of governance. At a more basic but equally important level, these interactions develop trust – an attribute essential to developing strong bilateral ties.

Confronting some of the most difficult global challenges will require innovative approaches to complex problems. Subnational engagement promotes the interchange of ideas and the adoption of best practices across different spheres. Hence, these peer-to-peer relationships between local leaders are critical if we are going to address difficult issues like climate change.

One of the most serious challenges that we face today is the economy. When I started this job three years ago; I reached out to local leaders in the United States and asked them how the U.S. Department of State could assist them. The number one answer was to promote economic growth within their communities. Mayors and governors lead foreign trade missions because it is in their interest do so. And, they do it with or without our help. It is in interest of our national economy to help local officials succeed in promoting their city or state, and ultimately making connections that lead to trade flows and economic growth which benefit all of us.

Subnational engagement utilizes our state and local leaders as an extraordinary source of innovation, talent, resources, and knowledge. After all, it is the states and cities that are the engines of growth at the ground level where the transition from policy to practice becomes most visible. Tapping into this resource fully employs our human capital.

Twenty-first century global challenges require us to work with new partners to collaborate and innovate globally. This is a core principal of subnational engagement, a strategy for creating partnerships for achieving modern diplomatic goals by engaging all the elements of our national power and leveraging all forms of our strength.

When former Secretary Clinton created the Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs in 2010, she emphasized the need to utilize local leaders as a key component in the much needed, widespread, and deep-rooted efforts to take on our world’s greatest challenges. A key part of that charge is empowering subnational officials to lead their states and communities to a stable and secure future.

My job is to connect what the Federal Government does best with what state and local governments are doing and can do globally.

To that end, the Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs, in conjunction with U.S. Embassies and State Department bureaus, has led the negotiations and secured collaboration frameworks confirming commitments to prioritize subnational engagement with: Brazil (U.S.-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding to Support State and Local Cooperation; China (Memorandum of Understanding Supporting U.S.-China Subnational Cooperation); India (U.S.-India Conversation between Cities); and Russia (Joint Statement on Strengthening U.S.-Russian Interregional Cooperation).

It is important to note that these relationships are organic. That is, cities and states are doing this on their own, because the leaders see the benefit of building these connections. It is our job to encourage and leverage what has been occurring organically to promote U.S. foreign policy.

I would like to share with you three quick examples highlighting the kind of work we do, so that you get flavor of both how the State Department is engaging and what is happing on the ground.

Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In April 2012, the United States and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Support State and Local Cooperation. This agreement affirms our mutual resolve to strengthen and expand cooperation and encourage peer-to-peer exchanges between subnational officials and local populations. These exchanges further enable local government to bolster trade and investment, share ideas and best practices, and advance local priorities while contributing to mutual understanding between our two countries.

In support of this agreement, I have traveled to Brazil and visited almost all of the host cities and states of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. My travel and direct contact with federal and local leaders have provided an excellent opportunity to bolster collaboration between local officials in Brazil and the United States. In addition, U.S.-Brazil cooperative efforts have focused on building economic opportunities for the U.S. private sector through Brazil’s unique position as host of these events.

With fewer than 400 days until the start of the World Cup, we are moving rapidly on several fronts to promote U.S.-Brazil cooperation to support the organization of upcoming mega-sporting events.

Earlier this month in New Orleans, my office and the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security co-hosted a two-day Symposium on Security for Major Sporting Events. We convened security officials from the Brazilian states which will host the 2014 World Cup Games and officials from eight U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies responsible for the organization and support of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans to share best practices on the coordination of the largest annual sporting event in the United States. The recent tragedy in Boston reminds us of the importance of effective collaboration with local officials on the security of major events.

In China, we were instrumental in the establishment of the U.S.-China Governors Forum in 2011. The Forum brings together Governors from both countries to discuss pressing issues and promote economic exchange. This dialogue fosters interactions that have resulted in tangible U.S. job creation.

I visited China last month where I played a role in bringing three U.S. Governors together with five Chinese provincial leaders at the third U.S.-China Governors Forum in Beijing and Tianjin. The U.S. Governors and their Chinese counterparts discussed economic and trade cooperation in order to advance U.S.-China economic cooperation at the local level. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the U.S. and Chinese Governors on April 15, and called for deeper regional cooperation between the two countries.

In addition, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. led a highly successful trade and investment mission to China in April. Multimillion-dollar business deals between Chinese and Californian companies were announced during the visit. At a reception at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, hosted by Ambassador Gary Locke, Governor Brown announced a $1.5 billion investment partnership between a California-based developer and a China-based investor and developer that will create thousands of California jobs.

In the multilateral sphere, we were able to include local elected officials on the U.S. delegation to Rio+20. This is a reflection that issues, like sustainability, require input from all levels of government to ensure that the multilateral negotiating process is transparent and inclusive.

Local participation on the Rio+20 delegation was crucial, given that cities across the United States have adopted comprehensive sustainability programs, and are in the process of transforming themselves to greener and more efficient urban centers – be it large metropolitan areas like New York’s "PlaNYC" or Chicago’s "Climate Action Plan," or small cities like Fort Collins, Colorado’s "Sustain Fort Collins" or Austin, Texas’ "Climate Action Plan." It is important to understand what is happing on the front lines and to give local leaders a voice at the table.

So again, organizing subnational relationships promotes a deeper cultural exchange among nations; advances principals of openness, freedom, transparency, and fairness in economic growth; and assists in the creation of a sustainable future.

To recap: Why are we doing this:

o Because these relationships are there, they are happening and they provide a real benefit for our interests abroad. So we need to understand them, encourage them, and whenever possible leverage them, to promote U.S. foreign policy goals and support U.S. interests;

o Because the future leaders are there. The odds are very good that the future leaders of both China and Brazil are currently serving as elected leaders of cities, states, and provinces.

o Because some of our best ambassadors are governors and mayors. Some of the most talented, credible, and articulate representatives of our democracy are serving at the state and local level, and not leveraging their talents limits our effectiveness.

o Because in a flat world, with decreasing tariffs and expanding trade flows, the unit of economic competition is no longer the nation state, it is the metropolitan era. In a globalized world making connections to, and learning from, your competitors is central to economic growth and success.

o Because the solutions to some of the most pressing global problems will be implemented at the local level. For example, climate change may be an issue discussed at the highest levels of multilateral governance, but its effects, mitigation and adaptation are the purview of local governments. It is local government that is changing the building codes and implementing new standards. It is local government that is dealing with transportation, air quality and sustainability issues. It is local leaders who are learning to manage mega-cities. The more these leaders learn from each other, more effective solutions will be implemented.

And with that, I am happy to take your questions.

THE NEW START TREATY

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Agency Officials Praise New START Treaty Progress
By Cheryl Pellerin
WASHINGTON, June 21, 2012 - Work taking place under the 16-month-old new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia fosters transparency and predictability for the world's two largest deployed nuclear arsenals, federal officials told a Senate panel today.

Among those testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations were Rose Gottemoeller, acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and Madelyn R. Creedon, assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs.
"Our experience so far demonstrates that the New START's verification regime works and will help push open the door to new and more complicated verification techniques in the future," said Gottemoeller, who led the U.S. treaty negotiating team as assistant secretary of state for verification and compliance.

The Senate approved the treaty in 2010, and the related legislative process produced a federal commitment to spend $185 billion over 10 years to modernize nuclear warheads and delivery systems.

"When the treaty is fully implemented, it will result in the lowest number of deployed nuclear warheads since the 1950s, the first full decade of the nuclear age," Gottemoeller said, "and 1,550 warheads deployed on or counted on 700 delivery vehicles -- that is, intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine launch ballistic missiles and bombers."
When the first START treaty was signed in 1991, she added, the United States and the Soviet Union each had deployed about 10,550 nuclear warheads.

During the first year of the new treaty, the United States and Russia kept pace with each other in conducting inspections, she said, both completing the yearly maximum of 18 inspections. Today, each side can make 25 short-notice inspections a year, and inspections have taken place involving intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, heavy bombers at their operating bases, storage facilities, conversion or elimination facilities, and test ranges.

"Through inspection activities, we have acquired new and valuable information," Gottemoeller told the panel. "For example, New START includes intrusive reentry vehicle inspections that are designed to confirm the exact number of re-entry vehicles, or warheads, on individual missiles selected for inspection. We are now able to confirm the exact number of warheads on any randomly selected Russian ICBM and SLBM -- something we were not able to do under the 1991 START treaty."

The exhibition process, another aspect of treaty implementation, gives both parties a chance to see new kinds of strategic offensive arms, view distinguishing features and confirm declared data.

"The United States and Russian Federation have also been sharing a veritable mountain of data with each other," the undersecretary said.

"Since entry into force we have exchanged over 2,500 notifications through our Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers," she added. "They help track movement and changes in the status of systems on a day-in, day-out basis.

"That," Gottemoeller continued, "combined with the databases that we exchange every six months, gives us an opportunity to have a kind of living database -- a truly real-time look at what is going on inside the Russian strategic forces."

Testifying on the implications for U.S. nuclear forces and policy of the new START treaty, Creedon said implementation is proceeding successfully and the Defense Department is fully engaged in meeting its treaty obligations.

DOD has hosted multiple inspection activities at U.S. strategic facilities and has participated in reciprocal activities at Russian strategic facilities, the assistant secretary added.

"The United States is on track to complete the reductions necessary to comply with the New START treaty's central limits by February 2018," Creedon said, adding that DOD plans to retain 240 deployed Trident SLBMs on Ohio-class submarines, up to 60 deployed heavy bombers and up to 420 single-warhead Minuteman III ICBMs.

"To meet the treaty's central limits," she said, "the Obama administration plans to convert or eliminate a yet-to-be-determined combination of ICBM launchers and SLBM launchers [and] our nuclear-capability heavy bombers."

The service life of the department's Trident II D5 SLBMs is being extended to 2042, and construction of the first Ohio-class replacement submarine is scheduled to begin in 2021, she added.

The administration plans to sustain Minuteman III ICBMs through 2030, and the United States will maintain two nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber wings and one B-2A wing.

The department also is working to complete a comprehensive drawdown plan, a substantial portion of which will be completed to support the fiscal 2014 budget request, Creedon added.

"As the president's budget request for fiscal year 2013 makes clear, DOD is committed to modernizing the delivery systems covered by the New START treaty that underpin nuclear deterrents," the assistant secretary said.

Maintaining strategic stability, assuring allies and sustaining a safe, secure and effective deterrent requires a partnership between the executive branch and Congress, she added.

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER SPEAKS AT ST. PETERSBURG INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FORUM

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum St. Petersburg, Russia ~ Thursday, May 17, 2012
It is a pleasure to be here today – and to bring greetings from President Obama and the American people.   And it is a privilege to join with so many distinguished leaders and essential partners – from across and far beyond Russia – to discuss the goals, values, and responsibilities that we share.

As Russia begins a new chapter in its rich and remarkable history, I want to thank Prime Minister Medvedev for welcoming me to this beautiful country – and for taking part in today’s discussion.   Let me also thank Director Piotrovskiy and Minister Konovalov for their work in organizing this important forum – and helping to advance the critical dialogue that many of you started here in St. Petersburg last year.

Since its earliest days, this city has been a center of culture and commerce; of revolution and innovation, of political activism and social advancement.   Today, I am hopeful – and confident – that St. Petersburg will serve as a meeting ground for thoughtful, respectful discussion; and that this gathering will be a starting point for a new level of international cooperation.

In times like these – of urgent threats, ongoing war, and uncommon legal challenges – such cooperation is essential.   And I am grateful that, during my tenure as Attorney General over the last three years, I have had the opportunity to help forge and strengthen key international alliances – and to work closely with many of the leaders in this room.

Thanks to our colleagues and counterparts worldwide, America’s international law enforcement relationships have never been stronger.   And I’m especially proud of what we’ve accomplished in reestablishing and reinforcing ties between Russia and the United States.   Over the last two decades – and, especially, in recent years –our nations have found new ways to work together – in common cause, in good faith, and with mutual respect – not only to the turn the page on past divisions, but also to build a brighter, more secure future – and a safer world.

Our government leaders and law enforcement officials have worked together to identify and dismantle transnational organized crime networks, illegal human trafficking rings, and global financial fraud schemes.   We’ve made meaningful strides in combating gang violence, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, government corruption, and child exploitation.   And as we’ve bolstered our joint crime-fighting efforts, we’ve also opened new channels for communication and cooperation in upholding the rule of law, and protecting essential civil rights.

From my vantage point, it’s clear that the 21st century will be shaped by how well we build on this progress; and, in a very real sense, by what happens here in this nation.   Today, Russia is not just the largest country on the planet – it is an influential player on the world stage.   As a member of the U.N. Security Council, Middle East Quartet, P5+1, Six Party Talks, G-8, G-20, and soon the World Trade Organization – Russia has assumed a prominent and pivotal role in addressing today’s most urgent and complex global challenges.   Without question, Russia’s security and prosperity, the health of its people and the strength of its civil society, will have a direct and profound impact on the world’s communities and on the advancement of human rights and human progress.

That’s why the United States – and so many partner nations – are committed not only to a strong and prosperous Russia – but to what such an achievement helps to ensure: enhanced global security, more robust and resilient global markets, and a thriving global community – one that reflects and honors the sacred and fortifying values of fairness, tolerance, inclusion, opportunity, and justice for all people – no matter who they are, where they're from, what they look like, or how they worship.

I realize, of course, that this vision may be ambitious – but these goals are not beyond our reach.   And achieving them depends on what we do today – on the paths forward that we establish, and on the partnerships we forge, reaffirm, and prioritize.

Although each of these issues will be discussed more specifically during this forum, I want to point out two specific areas where I believe the bonds of partnership – between every country represented here today – can and must be strengthened, and where America’s support will continue: in combating global terrorism and international crime; and in promoting good governance and the rule of law.

First of all, because opportunity and prosperity cannot be realized without security, the United States will continue to direct every resource and tool at our command – from diplomatic and military tactics, to our courts and intelligence capabilities – to defeat the global terror network.  In protecting our people and defending our allies, we will respect the sovereignty of nations, as well as the rule of law.   And we will strive to engage more nations in this vital work.

Second, we will strengthen current efforts to promote good governance and effective law enforcement, and to combat and prevent the costs and consequences of public corruption.   This work is essential in creating the conditions for economic growth and modernization.   As we’ve seen in nations large and small, rich and poor, young and old – when corruption takes hold, political institutions tend to lose legitimacy – threatening democratic stability and the rule of law.    Corruption undermines the health of international markets, stifling competition and repelling foreign investment.    And, as we’ve learned, corruption often is a “gateway crime” – one that allows money laundering, gang violence, terrorism and other crimes to thrive.

The U.S. government – and the Department of Justice that I am privileged to lead – have long recognized corruption as a transnational problem.   And I know firsthand that combating it is no easy task.   More than 35 years ago, I began my legal career prosecuting public corruption cases in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.   So, I understand how difficult this struggle can be.   As many countries – including both the United States and Russia – have learned, beating back corruption requires a fundamental shift – in the way business leaders and public officials conduct and think of themselves, and in the way law enforcement operates.    But I also know that such fundamental shifts can happen.  

For example, in the United States, we have made great strides in recent years.   From our robust enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, to the landmark Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative – which we launched two years ago to target and recover the proceeds of foreign official corruption that have been laundered into or through the U.S. – we are continually making strides in our fight against corruption at home, and in our efforts to help foreign countries increase their anti-corruption enforcement capacity.   In fact, over the last two decades – in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, and at the request of host nations – the Justice Department’s Criminal Division has placed legal advisors in dozens of countries around the world, including Russia, to participate in developing and sustaining these institutions.  

We’ve seen clearly that prosecution is not the only effective way to curb global corruption; and that we must also work with business leaders to encourage, ensure, and enforce sound corporate governance.   Above all, we’ve discovered – and proven – that meaningful, measurable progress is possible; and that we should not, and must not, settle for anything less.          

In each of these areas – and in our ongoing work to promote global security and good governance – I want to point out that the United States intends to serve, not as a patron but as a partner – as a collaborator, not a monitor.   I also want to reiterate something that President Obama said shortly after taking office, when he visited the New Economic School in Moscow.   In describing the key pillars of a successful democracy, he acknowledged that, “By no means is America perfect.   But it is our commitment to certain universal values which allows us to correct our imperfections, to improve constantly, and to grow stronger over time.”

For the American people – and for the United States government – this commitment is stronger than ever.   But the challenges we face demand that this commitment be shared – across jurisdictions, borders, oceans, and across areas of disagreement and division.

If we remain committed – and engaged – I have no doubt about our ability to transform this extraordinary moment of possibility into a new era of progress – marked by greater peace and unity, freedom and prosperity, and opportunity and justice for all.

Thank you.