Deputy Assistant Secretary Christensen of the US Department of State: Letter to Editor Washington Times re Op-Ed piece of Mr. Pham PDF Print E-mail
Saturday, 29 March 2008 19:25
Letter to the Editor, Washington Times

A commitment to Mongolia

J. Peter Pham's commentary on Mongolia and the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) was misleading at best ("Mongolia's challenge," Feb. 21). His prescription — that we cut off the MCC compact to Mongolia before it even begins to work — would undermine U.S. interests in a nation that is one of our best friends in Asia.
MCC program assistance and the criteria for receiving it are powerful incentives for countries to promote good governance, economic freedom and investment in their own peoples' development.

Mr. Pham uses data collected by MCC to suggest that Mongolia has a "rapidly deteriorating investment and governance climate."

A closer look at these numbers shows only marginal declines in some areas. In almost every area, Mongolia is still well ahead of its peer group of developing countries — which is how MCC determines where to invest its assistance.

Corruption and problems in Mongolia's foreign investment environment are, indeed, troublesome, but these are problems endemic in many new democracies and emerging economies.

To counter these problems, we should assist Mongolia to continue to develop its democratic institutions and market structures.

In many respects, Mongolia is a model for other countries in the region and around the world. In the 17 years since its emergence from the communist bloc, Mongolia has built democratic institutions, made significant progress in securing the rule of law and freedom of the press, fostered a growing civil society and developed stronger fiscal policies that have allowed it to expand its economy at a high rate.

While by no means perfect, Mongolia has made irreversible strides in its democratic and economic development, developments worthy of encouragement by the United States and emulation by a host of other nations.

Mr. Pham correctly pointed out that Mongolia has geopolitical significance and has been a true ally of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mongolia is also a leader in regional and global democracy-building organizations and a strong contributor to U.N. peacekeeping missions.

So, the question is, should we abandon Mongolia and its reform efforts now when progress is being made? Or should we continue to work with the Mongolians to help them complete their democratic transition?

I would argue that the answer is clear — we should continue to help Mongolians realize their full capabilities as a free people. The MCC compact, in its ability to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth in Mongolia, is one of the best ways we can show our commitment to Mongolia.

THOMAS J. CHRISTENSEN
Deputy assistant secretary of state
East Asian and Pacific affairs
Department of State
Washington
 

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