Businesswire
Posted: 2008-05-23 14:55:49

Impact ’08 in Florida Launches With Discussion of Global Challenges Facing U.S.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Center for U.S. Global Engagement and its partners, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy, today launched its Impact ’08 in Florida initiative with a luncheon and foreign policy discussion featuring former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral James Loy and Robert Mallett, Pfizer Inc’s Senior Vice President for Worldwide Public Affairs and Policy and President of the Pfizer Foundation. The discussion was moderated by Miami Herald Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal. These speakers joined more than 120 guests, including many Impact ’08 in Florida’s Advisory Committee members, to encourage the 2008 presidential candidates to incorporate greater investments in global development and diplomacy as critical tools in America’s engagement with the world.

At the luncheon, Admiral Loy, a member of the Center’s National Security Advisory Council, a group of more than 50 three and four-star generals and admirals representing all branches of the Armed Forces, explained why a former military officer would join the call for increased development aid and diplomacy. “The world is – and will continue –challenging us in ways unforeseen, and the U.S. must stand ready to lead through the maze of global threats and opportunities, but the national security challenges for the next president are not going to be primarily military. Rather, they will be about diplomacy, economic development, and the nature and scope of our international leadership and alliances,” said Loy.

Offering his view as both a former Deputy Commerce Secretary and current corporate executive and foundation president, Mr. Mallett said, “It is vitally important to the business community that America have the moral authority and a strong ability to lead by funding and mastering all components of power. Foreign policy has many layers of impact on American businesses and citizens. The next president must bolster America’s investments in global health, development and diplomacy to ensure that we have every means available to navigate the ship of state through these stormy seas.”

The lunchtime foreign policy discussion served as the launching pad for Impact in ‘08’s Florida efforts. To learn more about Impact ’08 in Florida, please visit http://www.usglobalengagement.org/Impact08/StateActionFlorida/tabid/87 6/Default.aspx. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

About the Center for U.S. Global Engagement and Impact ’08:

The Center for U.S. Global Engagement (www.usglobalengagement.org), the educational arm of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, unites business, civic, military, faith-based, and political leaders around the country to broaden understanding of America’s interests in building a better, safer world.

Impact ’08: Building a Better, Safer World is the Center’s national, non-partisan initiative, chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci, calling on all of the Presidential candidates to elevate and strengthen America’s investments in global development and diplomacy.

About our partners:

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (www.greatermiami.com) is an association of businesses and professions organized to create economic progress in Miami-Dade County. To carry out its mission, the Chamber serves as the voice of business enterprise and involves the private sector in community leadership.

The Center for Hemispheric Policy (www.miami.edu/chp) at the University of Miami examines the relationship of the United States within the hemisphere in areas such as economic development and trade, healthcare and medical research, environmental programs, education, infrastructure, and politics.