July 17 - U.S. Navy builder Mike Howe works with local villagers Toofohe Tuivailala and Saiti Makaafi during Pacific Partnership 2009.

Ushering in Change: A New Era for U.S. Regional Policy in the Pacific

On July 29, Alcy Frelick (Director for Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Island Affairs) gave a statement before the Asia, Pacific, Global Environment Subcommittee of House Foreign Affairs Committee on U.S. Policy in the Pacific.

Chairman Faleomavaega, Ranking Member Manzullo, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to appear today to testify on U.S. policy towards the nations of the Pacific. I welcome the opportunity to address our policy towards this important region.

The United States values its longstanding and close relationships with the countries and peoples of the Pacific. Indeed, the United States is itself a Pacific nation, with a lengthy Pacific coast, stretching as far west as Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and encompassing American Samoa and Hawaii. Nothing could better underscore this fact than the election last year of Barack Obama, a native of Hawaii, as the 44th President of the United States.

The United States engages with the Pacific Island countries in both a bilateral and multilateral manner to address issues of pressing concern to the United States, the region, and the world. Our multifaceted engagement with the Pacific covers the gamut from addressing climate change to maintaining a robust missile defense infrastructure. Most importantly, we seek to work with the governments and peoples of the Pacific to foster stable, democratic, and prosperous countries … (more)
 

President Obama applauds graduating students of the New Economic School in Moscow, where he delivered a major speech on the U.S.-Russia relationship.

Building on Moscow: U.S.-Russian Relations

Following recently behind President Obama's successful trip to Moscow, Philip Gordon (Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs) breifed the House Foreign Relations Committee on the status of, and developments in, U.S.- Russian relations.

A/S Gordon described the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Russia as in a 'dangerous drift' when President Obama took office.  However, he explained that new administration had been working hard with the Russian government, and have achieved a fresh start, or 'reset', to the relationship.

President Obama, he said, has stated that the U.S. and Russia have mutual interests in a number of critical areas, which the two countries could work togeather construcively on even as they seperately worked through any differences.  The results of the Moscow Summit demonstrate that the President’s instincts were correct. … (more)
 

A Dialogue with China

Addressing the first U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, President Obama laid out a framework of his vision for another critical aspect of American foreign policy – the relationship with China, which he called "as important as any bilateral relationship in the world."

Delivering his address, the President drew upon lessons of the past to lay out his ambitions for the future, "As we look to the future, we can learn from our past -- for history shows us that both our nations benefit from engagement that is grounded in mutual interest and mutual respect," he said.

The President explained that today, perhaps in contrast to much of the last century, there is good cause to have optimistic ambitions for the future of the U.S-China relationship, and for the ability of the two countries to work together on issues of mutual concern:

"My confidence is rooted in the fact that the United States and China share mutual interests.  If we advance those interests through cooperation, our people will benefit and the world will be better off -- because our ability to partner with each other is a prerequisite for progress on many of the most pressing global challenges
…
these issues are rooted in the fact that no one nation can meet the challenges of the 21st century on its own, nor effectively advance its interests in isolation.  It is this fundamental truth that compels us to cooperate.  I have no illusion that the United States and China will agree on every issue, nor choose to see the world in the same way.  This was already noted by our previous speaker.  But that only makes dialogue more important -- so that we can know each other better, and communicate our concerns with candour." … (more)
 

From the White House

From the America.gov

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed"

8:17am, Tuesday, July 21st (NZT) marks the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11's historic landing on the Moon.  Neil Armstrong's first steps on the lunar surface were the culmination of a decade long program of intense national effort, led by NASA, and was one of the defining moments of the 20th century.

Announced to the world in a speech President John F. Kennedy delivered to the United States Congress on 25 May 1961, the Apollo program was set the incredibly ambitious goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.  This was such an ambitious target, that many at the time considered it science fiction, or even lunacy.  But as President Kennedy said in a perhaps more famous speech the following year,

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

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President Barack Obama with the Apollo 11 astronauts, (L - R) Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong.

President Obama honours the Heroes of Apollo 11

Exactly 40 years after man first stepped foot on the moon, the President welcomed Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin to the White House to honor their achievement.  He called the Apollo 11 astronauts "American heroes" and praised the entire NASA family for making that iconic flight possible.  He also noted how the men’s accomplishment served as inspiration for a generation, and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to math and science:

"I also know that, as a consequence of the extraordinary work of NASA generally, that you inspired an entire generation of scientists and engineers that ended up really sparking the innovation, the drive, the entrepreneurship, the creativity back here on Earth.  And I think it's very important for us to constantly remember that NASA was not only about feeding our curiosity, that sense of wonder, but also had extraordinary practical applications.  And one of the things that I've committed to doing as President is making sure that math and science are cool again, and that we once again keep the goal by 2020 of having the highest college graduation rates of any country on Earth, especially in the maths and science fields."

 (more)
 

NASA astronaut Dr. Don Pettit delivers the keynote address at the ChemEd conference.

NASA Astronaut visits New Zealand

NASA astronaut Don Pettit visited New Zealand in the first week of July, to attend ChemEd:  The annual conference of New Zealand secondary school chemistry teachers.

Dr. Pettit gave the keynote speech at ChemEd where he stressed he stressed the importance of exploration, particularly in frontier environments. He described these environments provide unexpected opportunities for scientific discovery as well as human exploration.  And he underscored and the critical role of science teachers in inspiring an interest in  exporation and science within their students.

As part of his visit, Dr Pettit also visited a number of Canterbury's leading science and technology organisations, and spoke to public audiences at the Canterbury Museum, at Kidsfest, and others; drawing comparisons between Lunar exploration, and the exploration of the South Pole being supported from Christchurch.

Dr. Pettit's visit was especially timely, as it occurred only a few days before the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission; the mission that made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Adlrin the first people to set foot on the moon … (more)

Obama Calls on Africans to Claim Their Future

Saying he too has the blood of Africa within him, President Obama does not see the African people as living a world apart, but as a fundamental part of an interconnected world.

“I’ve come here to Ghana for a simple reason: the 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well,” Obama said in a July 11 speech before the Ghanaian Parliament in his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president.

“I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family’s own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.”

The July 11 speech in Accra capped off a journey that began in Moscow July 6, followed by the Group of Eight Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, July 8–10, a visit with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on July 10, and then his visit to Ghana before returning to Washington … (more)
 

Obama Wins Global Support for Nuclear-Free Future

President Obama, at the G8 Summit in Italy, added another element to his goal of a nuclear-free world by calling for a global nuclear summit in March 2010.

The President sees this as another piece of the nonproliferation agenda he first put forward in his Prague speech in April, where he called for a nuclear-free world. The Obama agenda includes substantial reductions in the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, which the president and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to July 6 at the Moscow Summit; U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); and strengthening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In the President's Prague speech of April 5, he proposed a sweeping strategy to thwart the international nuclear threat: reducing and eventually eliminating existing nuclear arsenals; strengthening the NPT and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons to additional nations; and preventing terrorists and political extremists from obtaining nuclear weapons or materials.

In a series of related statements, G8 leaders endorsed that strategy on the first day of the summit July 8 … (more)
 

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Joshua Valcarcel )

Pacifc Partnership 2009

APIA, Samoa - (July 07, 2009)

The U.S. Navy's Pacific Partnership is the dedicated humanitarian and civil assistance mission conducted by, with and through partner nations, non-governmental organizations and other U.S. and international government agencies to execute a variety of humanitarian civic action missions in the Pacific Fleet area of responsibility.

Shown left, Pacific Partnership 2009 team members from New Zealand and the United States Public Health Service teach children about the importance of washing their hands at a Medical Civic Action Project (MEDCAP) site held at the Apia Community Center.

This year Pacific Partnership will travel to Oceania, including Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. The USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) serves as the enabling platform for U.S. and partner nation military and non-governmental organizations to coordinate humanitarian civic assistance efforts. (more)
 

View of the White House South Lawn: The Foo Fighters performed July 4, 2009. White House 4th July on Flickr

President Celebrates Independence Day with "Nation's Heroes"

On Saturday, July 4th, President Obama celebrated Independence Day alongside hundreds of service members and their families at a USO concert on the South Lawn of the White House.  The concert, emcee'd by Jimmy Fallon, featured the Foo Fighters and Michelle Branch, and was immediately followed by the 4th of July fireworks over the National Mall - a traditional and spectacular fixture of Independence Day celebrations in Washington.

President Obama addressed the his guests, remarking that he was "honored and proud" to host them on Independence Day, and noting that the service members gathered were "the latest, strongest link in that unbroken chain that stretches back to the Continental Army.  You're the heirs of that legacy of proud men and women who strained to hold together a young union; who rolled back the creeping tide of tyranny; who stood post through a long twilight struggle; who have taken on the terror and extremism that threatens the world's stability."

He also remarked that "our gathering tonight is not so different from gatherings that are taking place all across the country, in parks and fields and backyards all across America.  In small towns and big cities, folks are firing up grills, laughing with family and friends, and laying out a blanket in preparation for the big show.  They're reliving the simple, unmistakable joys of being an American." (more)
 

(L to R) Michael Chilton, representing New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, U.S. Charge d’Affaires David Keegan, and U.S. Consul General John Desrocher

Independence Day Observed Early in Auckland

Officially, U.S. Independence Day is celebrated on the 4th of July  every year.  In fact, U.S. Independence is often celebrated in a number of events leading up to that date, as was the case this year at Auckland's Northern Club.  An early celebration of U.S. Independence was held by the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland to coincide with a farewell for America’s top diplomat in Auckland.

On June 25th Charge d’Affaires David Keegan hosted a combined 233rd Anniversary of U.S. Independence Day and farewell to Auckland Consul General John Desrocher and his wife, Karen Rose.  120 guests celebrated an early July 4th and bade farewell to John and Karen as they prepared to depart for John’s next overseas assignment.

Dr. Keegan invited the audience to join him in celebrating not just America’s national day, but also the deep and abiding relationship between the U.S.A. and New Zealand.  He noted that our two countries share a vision of the world where "each person is valued and able to express themselves and make a contribution. It is a world where governments seek not war, but shared security and prosperity. It is a world where we are protecting our environment and ensuring that those in need have access to food, to education, and to a healthy secure future for their children. In that we are united, and we are working together."

After his speech, Dr Keegan toasted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, and Michael Chilton, representing New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, reciprocated by toasting the people and President of the United States.

A final note was added to the ‘official’ proceedings when US Consul Nick Greanias sang a light-hearted composition of his own to celebrate departing Consul General John Desrocher’s time in Auckland – and his prospects for future advancement in the U.S. Diplomatic Service. 

Dave Keegan describes Washington's annual 4th July fireworks display to a guest at the NZAA event.

Dave Keegan Farewelled, Hosted at 4th July Celebration

On June 28, the New Zealand American Association hosted Chargé d'Affaires Dave Keegan and his wife, Sally, at a Sunday lunch.  The NZAA event was both an early celebration of Independence Day for NZAA members and guests, and a farewell for the Keegans.

Dr Keegan remarked upon the warmth of friendship offered by both the American and the Kiwi members of the NZAA, towards himself and his family, and also towards all U.S. Embassy personnel.

In turn, Dr Keegan was thanked for his enduring support of the NZAA throughout his tenure in New Zealand, first as Deputy Chief of Mission, and subsequently as Chargé d'Affaires.