Brian L. Browne
Speech Delivered At The American Studies Association of Nigeria (ASAN) Conference,

Ibadan, Nigeria
September 17, 2004

Good Morning.

My name is Brian Browne. I am the Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos. Yet more than that, I am privileged to be here to enter into a dialogue with you about the United States and the challenges it will face this century.

At this point, I would be severely remiss if I failed to acknowledge and thank the ASAN Executive Committee members both past and present for inviting me to this fine event held in the ancient and noble city of Ibadan.

I commend Dr. Eddy Erhagbe, ASAN President, for his leadership and for assembling so distinguished a group for this conference.

The work your organization does is extremely important. You are helping to erect a strong and productive bridge of mutual understanding that transcends your various academic disciplines in order to bring the people of these two great nations closer together. For this contribution, I truly thank you.

I'd also like to acknowledge our de facto host, Vice Chancellor Falace of the University of Ibadan, through his representative Dean Rotimi Oderinde of the Faculty of Science who merits a round of applause for his hospitality at this proud university.

To the other members of the high table, I thank you as well for indulging me as I share my thoughts with you. The President, distinguished ladies and gentleman - all protocols observed.

I must further beg your indulgence in allowing me to make a somewhat unorthodox turn in this presentation. Instead of presenting you a catalog of only the substantive issues facing the United States, I would like to establish two major categories of challenges the United States faces. On one hand, there are the substantive issues such as global terrorism and maintaining world political and economic leadership.

While, on the other hand, are the intangibles - the psychological, ideological and philosophical moorings -- that perhaps are as important to a country as are the abovementioned substantive issues, for these intangibles define a nation's character. Distilled to a single phrase, this category is best summarized as how can the United States maintain the essence of the American character into the 21st Century.

Before we begin down this path, I beg your indulgence one last time as I veer us on another detour. Here, I would like to tell you a personal story. One day when in my early teens - I was admittedly bit of a headstrong youth - I got in trouble with my father as was too often the case from his perspective. So many years have passed since this incident that I have even forgotten its underlying cause. But what I have not forgotten is the lesson learned that day. It all boiled down to my father asking me a question and demanding a "yes" or "no" answer. Well, not only would a yes or no reply have been inaccurate, either would have incriminated me in a wrongdoing of which I was thankfully innocent. So, I told my father I could not answer as he asked but I would reply truthfully if he let me explain. He kept pressing for yes or no. I held my ground. Finally, a bit exasperated, he ordered me to stand in the middle of the room until I was ready to answer as he requested. Five minutes, then ten-fifteen-thirty-forty-five minutes passed. Every now and then he would come by asking if I was ready to answer. An hour came and went. Another ten-twenty-thirty minutes elapsed. Finally, he walked up to me, looking me straight in the eye. I thought surely my moment of doom had arrived. At that moment, I would have rather faced the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He stared at me cold and hard. Then a smile cracked the hardness that was on his face. Instead of punishing me, he put his arm around my shoulder, saying " I am proud of you. You stood up for what you thought was right even though it would have been easier to have done as I ordered."

That moment taught me a valuable lesson - it revealed to me one of the best traits in the American character. In the context of the American culture, by superficially defying my father I was actually doing him a deeper honor. For I was showing that I had listened to and embraced the ideals upon which he had built a household and on which he taught me our nation was founded - those of justice, conviction, freedom of thought, courage and truth.

I hope you will forgive my little diversion; however, it was not completely for nothing; it has taken us back to the path on which we need to be. Now lets talk about the major intangible challenges America will face in the coming years. At our best, Americans look at our country as a unique place where the road never ends. If you can't make it big in Washington you can move on and find success in Wichita, Wabash or West Palm Beach. The long term test is whether we can we continue to view our nation as one where the sun never sets on a person seeking another chance. Can we continue to see America as the land of opportunity for all and success for as many as possible? Will we continue to believe that the best still lies in the future. Or will we, as a nation, begin to feel that our finest moments lie in the past somewhere behind us? The answers to these questions will significantly shape the national mindset and help determine how we tackle the substantive issues that confront us. In turn, how we face those substantive issues will affect how we answer these intangibles.

Linked to this, and against the backdrop of September 11, is how will the United States view the rest of the world. Will we see it as a relatively benign place albeit with many serious problems that require creativity and commitment to resolve? Or will we see the world as generally a dangerous place from which we need to be protected? The difference here being the distinction between a confident yet fortified America and a pessimistic fortress America. To this challenge, I already know the answer. We will be the former. Never the latter.

In the upcoming years, America will continue to refine the balance between civil liberty and security, personal freedom and collective responsibility, between our inherent idealism and the pragmatism that the exigencies of everyday reality force upon every individual and country. We will strike these balances in a uniquely American way, with the goal of maintaining that uniquely American outlook.

This now leads us to a brief examination of some of the substantive challenges that will confront America.

1. Addressing Global Terrorism

Perhaps the preeminent challenge the United States will face this century is the threat of global terrorism.

The events of September 11 have had a profound affect. They have altered the way America lives and transacts business. 9-11 has forced us to look at ourselves and the world anew. It has also affected how the world looks at us.

A war was fought and won in Afghanistan. Although freed of Saddam Hussein -- Iraq is still troubled by violence and unrest that has delayed the urgent work of reconstruction. Military action in Iraq strained relations with many countries. It also has been a passionate epicenter of debate in internal U.S. politics.

But if you look more closely, you can see that with each incident of terrorism wherever it occurs, more and more well-meaning people are beginning to understand the bacillus that terrorism is. Whether or not they agree with the specific actions in Afghanistan or Iraq, more countries increasingly see the need for tough action against terrorism. This is because they realize the violence of terrorism cannot lead to some greater good. Terrorism cannot be the harbinger of freedom, prosperity, creativity, justice or hope any more than a lie can be the harbinger of the truth. If we let it, however, terrorism can be their executioner. America has fought to hard for these ideals to allow for such an unregenerate step to occur.

Terrorism, as a swift means to an ignoble end, has reared its ugly head not only in America but in every region of the world, most recently in the senseless killing of school children in Beslan, Russia.

The U.S. faces a long road ahead in the war on terrorism, but steps are being taken to coordinate national policy as it pertains to global terrorism.

The recently released 9-11 Commission Report identified The Horn of Africa as a possible terrorist safe haven, and recommended closer collaboration between the U.S. and host governments - including Nigeria -- in stamping out terrorist activities in African countries.

I'm glad to say our government works closely with Nigerian on this issue. We thank the people of Nigeria for their sympathy in the aftermath of 9-11, and for the country's strong opposition to terrorism.

The Commission's other recommendations called for sweeping changes in how the United States fundamentally approaches terrorism threats to its interests around the world.

Basically, the war against terrorism requires a two-tier approach. At one level, we must employ all available means to disrupt and ultimately dismantle extant terrorist organizations. Second and perhaps more importantly, we must revise our diplomatic, political and economic tools to address root causes of terrorism -- alienation, lack of hope, poverty, hatred -- so that fewer people can be induced into this benighted enterprise.

2. Maintaining Global Leadership

Being at the forefront of world efforts to combat terrorism and its causes is just one aspect of global leadership. Keeping that overall leadership will require America to retain a high level of political, economic and military capability. It also will require that we continue to forge a global system that is invested with legitimacy in the eyes of most other members of the global community. There has to be a sense of justice, reciprocity and mutual benefit for the system to be a cooperative, productive one.

Here I must state that the United States need not apologize for its status as the lone superpower. This outcome has not been the result of sheer luck. While the incidents of geography and history have generally been kind to us, this status is basically the product of cumulative sacrifice and hard work over many generations. While some people criticize America as being too powerful, we recognize that some of these complaints are not as straightforward as they appear. Many countries wish they had the power the U.S. has. If they did, I wonder if they would act with as much restraint and deliberation.

There have been and will always be disagreements between nations. Yet, I believe most of the world will continue to welcome and be fairly secure with America's leadership. In the end, most people recognize that America would rather have other nations follow its lead by choice and not by compulsion. What America must strive to achieve in this new century is how to present its ascent as a general blueprint for nations that strive to establish good governance without being misinterpreted as trying to impose an exact replica of America on any country. In the political sphere, this translates into improved support for homegrown democratization efforts the world over. In economics, it means market reform, and the ramping up of economic growth and wealth as the best way to combat poverty and integrate the maximum number of people in the maximum number of countries into the world economy.

In the realm of diplomacy, it means not only maintaining established alliances and long standing partnerships that have served us well in the past, but also having the flexibility to afford emerging powers like China, Brazil and Nigeria their appropriate roles on the world stage and to forge appropriate relations with these and other nations.

3. AGOA

A challenge the U.S. faces in the 21st Century is one of open trade and investment in Africa in particular.

In this regard, a lot of promise has come out of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (or AGOA), first passed in 2000.

Initiated just 4 years ago, AGOA forged a new trade partnership between the U.S and Sub-Saharan countries, in essence granting duty-free access to the U.S. market for substantially all products of eligible countries.

As a result of AGOA, Sub-Saharan African products are eligible to enter the U.S. duty free. In 2003, over 95 percent of all U.S. imports of AGOA products entered the country duty free.

Thanks to AGOA, U.S. and Sub-Saharan African trade has been bolstered significantly. In 2003, U.S. imports under AGOA were valued at just over $14 billion, a 55 percent increase over the previous year. Significantly for the U.S., investment in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 12 percent to almost $9 billion.

There is no question AGOA will continue to be a driving force in U.S. - African trade. As of today, thirty-seven of 48 Sub-Saharan countries are eligible for AGOA. Among this group, 24 countries were eligible for AGOA's apparel benefits.

How AGOA prospers, or falters, in the coming years, will say a lot about the success strength of the economic ties between America and Africa in the next century.

4. U.S. Work Force

I would like now like to shift the focus to address some issues concerning the U.S. workforce.

As the 21st Century unfolds, profound demographic changes will affect the U.S. economy with an attendant impact on the composition of the American workforce.

Currently, 30 percent of Americans - or 83 million - are considered part of the baby boom generation - born between 1945 and 1960.

By 2025, 20 percent of Americans will be 65 or older and 40 percent of the U.S. workforce will be 45 or older.

This affects the economy in several ways.

First, the labor market in the U.S. is extremely tight as a result of the existing labor pool. Pay scales are driven higher, companies are forced to operate at higher costs, and retirement benefit packages are channeling resources out of companies operating budgets into pension plans.

Second, job growth is declining and there is more reliance on alternative sources of labor. A big issue this election period, for example, focuses on the topic of "outsourcing" service sector jobs to countries like India and Ireland. Some say this outsourcing hurts the U.S. economy by exporting jobs, while others say it helps the U.S. economy by driving down the costs of services for consumers.

Third, as older U.S. workers retire in larger numbers, the economy loses valuable worker expertise in equally large portions. Younger, less experienced workers are now relied upon to meet higher skill requirements in jobs they take - their productivity level is often less than the incumbents'.

All of this opens the door, so to speak, for skilled international workers to enter the U.S. via visa lottery programs or under the provisions of special employment Visas. Nigerians are joining the U.S. workforce, and are making valuable contributions in various sectors of the economy.

When we raise the topic of Nigerians seeking work overseas, we can't overlook the sensitive issue of the 'Brain Drain' of Nigeria.

There is no swift solution and the topic of 'Brain Drain' stirs passionate debate on both sides of the aisle. As we explore this issue, we must seek creative ways where both nations benefit from the expertise of this skilled workforce.
I'm pleased to say we, at the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, are also putting a lot of thought into the "Brain Drain" phenomenon, and are doing our best to fashion programs that benefit both countries as well as the workers.

This November, we'll be launching a new program called CareerConnect for our Education Advising Center (EAC) student members. This program will seek to match qualified EAC members with local Nigerian and U.S. companies in the Lagos area for internship work opportunities.

The program is a win-win for companies and students, since it provides valuable opportunities for young Nigerians to seek and obtain employment at home, while at the same time providing companies with highly educated and multi-talented young workers.

We're optimistic this program will take root in Nigerian, and blossom into a larger initiative that can eventually be implemented nationwide.

5. Federal Deficit

In recent years the U.S. economy has demonstrated considerable resilience to adversity. It has overcome significant shocks that, in the past, could have hobbled growth for a much longer period than they have in the current cycle.

Looking forward, the odds of sustained robust growth are good. We must take steps to reduce federal budget deficits and thus contribute to national saving and continue to pursue opportunities to open markets and promote trade.

The projected deficit for this fiscal year, which ends on September 30, is $422 Billion. This will be the biggest dollar amount deficit in history but there is a silver lining to this cloud in that the estimate is down from previous estimates. If the upward trend in the economy continues, this deficit could be further reduced next year. However, this is just a warning signal for the hard structural adjustments America will have to make to the federal budget at some point to maintain long term fiscal health. The rising costs of government funded medical care and social security will place an unprecedented strain on the budget as the baby boomers reach of retirement age. Difficult budget choices lie ahead but these choices must be made.

6. THE COLOR LINE

If there is one single problem that can be said to have troubled America's history and the fully realization of its ideals, it has been the presence of racism. Racial prejudice is on the decline in the United States but it is still present in places. Socio-economic indicators show gain but also reveal that Blacks still lag behind overall society. There is a generation of inner city youth living in our nation's large urban centers. The lives of these youth are far removed from the tenets of the American dream. Unless efforts are made to integrate these youth into the socio-economic mainstream, they face the danger of living in America but not being truly a part of it and society will face the dangers attendant in having such a class of its citizens feeling alienated and unattached.

Because of its tremendous economic opportunities, America is a magnet for people across the globe. American can boast of citizens or residents from every place on earth. With such a diverse population, America must be careful that the problem of racism is not on the way to resolution only to yield to another form of social differentiation. Maintaining social tolerance will be a key challenge given the changing demographics of the country. America must work to make sure no form of intolerance is allowed to grow. IF we stay affixed to our ideals, this will never happen and I am confident that adherence to ideals will be stronger than fear or bigotry.

Conclusion

In summary, I'm pleased to have had this opportunity to speak before you - the American Studies Association of Nigeria - today.

I again commend you for the work you are doing, on dozens of campuses around the country, to bring U.S. subjects into your respective academic communities. I encourage you to expand your chapters, to seek more collaboration with our Public Affairs Section in program collaboration, and to focus on new exchange programs and conferences that can expand your knowledge of, and appreciation for, U.S. society and culture.

I've taken some time to highlight just a few of the challenges the U.S. faces in the 21st Century. This forum, the papers that will be presented and the discussions that will take place, will inevitably touch upon some of those other topics.

I look forward to lending my voice to this discussion, and to contributing in any way I can, to the success of this conference and the future growth of the ASAN.

THANK YOU.