The Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement wouldexpand markets for Central America, the Dominican Republic, and theUnited States; help to integrate these countries into the globaleconomy; encourage needed economic reforms; bolster positivepolitical trends; and signal the entire hemisphere that Washingtonis serious about market integration and helping its neighbors todevelop.
Four principles should guide Administration policy toward Europe:(1) Europe will remain the foundation of future U.S. coalitionswell into the 21st century; (2) a Europe in which nationalsovereignty remains paramount suits America's national interest;(3) the U.S.-British alliance must remain pivotal to long-term U.S.strategic thinking; and (4) Europe must be seen as it is, not asmany Europeans might wish to see themselves.
The experience of T. E. Lawrence in the early 20th century teaches that state building should always be approached from the bottom up, never from the top down; local elites must be stakeholders in theprocess, far more than people in faraway Washington, andpolicymakers must understand the history and culture of the region.
It is critical for the prosperity of the world today that the WhiteHouse more aggressively hew to a free trade line in the monthsahead. By abolishing the corporate income tax, holding firm in theface of EU recalcitrance regarding agricultural liberalization, andpursuing a policy of free trade by any means, the Administrationcan underpin the security of the global economy.