Annual Thanksgiving Speech of the Ambassador of the United States before the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic: "Thoughts on the Rule of Law”

Rule of law issues tend not to receive much attention in a world battered by financial crisis. Many leaders around the world feel frustrated in reacting to a crisis that began beyond their borders. But we can take action to confront this crisis. In fact, enacting reforms to promote rule of law is one of the best ways to shield ourselves in these difficult times.

The crisis has shown, among other things, the need for increased transparency and accountability in our financial laws and regulations. I say this to emphasize that I recognize the challenges that instituting rule of law poses for all countries, including the United States.

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Major League Baseball and US Embassy Sign Alliance to Help Poor Communities

The US Embassy in Santo Domingo - through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) - and Major League Baseball signed an historic alliance with six important Dominican non-government organizations with the goal of working in specific projects in education, health, youth and economic development, and the creation of jobs that will benefit underprivileged communities where Major League Baseball has training camps.  USAID will donate close to a million dollars to this innovative alliance during a three-year period.  The US Peace Corps will also participate in the alliance, by providing full-time volunteers to help in the project’s development.

Ambassador Inaugurates Megaports Initiative

On November 17, 2008, Ambassador Fannin, Department of Energy officials, and officials from DP World inaugurate operations of radiation detection equipment. This specialized equipment detects the presence of dangerous nuclear and other radioactive materials and will help to secure cargo containers passing through the port.

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Barack Obama’s Victory Speech

On November 4, Americans elected Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. At the end of a very long Election Day, he addressed supporters at a park in Chicago.

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Ambassador Discusses Fight against Drugs

During the weekly luncheon sponsored by the daily El Caribe. During the interview, Ambassador Fannin was interviewed by the newspaper’s director, Manuel Quiroz, with whom he discussed issues of bilateral interests, specifically issues related to narcotrafficking. Ambassador Fannin said "My country is strongly committed to the Dominican Republic in the war on drugs. Our cooperation in the war on drugs spans several agencies and includes training, intelligence sharing, and operational support on a daily basis. It’s a vast array of assistance and cooperation to confront a major problem."

El Caribe article published October 16

Sixty Years: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This issue of eJournal USA celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It explores the document’s origins, sites it within humanity’s common intellectual heritage, and explains how it has bettered the lives of individuals in every corner of the globe.

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