United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany

Twenty Years of German Unity
Brandenburg Union of Cities and Communities
Rüdersdorf, September 6, 2010

Ministerpräsident Platzeck,
Minister Speer,
Herr Dr. Landsberg,
Herr Große,
verehrte Mitglieder des Städte- und Gemeindebundes Brandenburg,

ich gratuliere Ihnen zum 20. Jahrestag der kommunalen Selbstverwaltung in Brandenburg. Der Fall der Berliner Mauer und die deutsche Einheit haben die politische Landschaft Deutschlands und Europas erheblich verändert. Eine der Veränderungen war die Schaffung einer starken, demokratischen Selbstverwaltung.  Die Amerikaner sahen darin die Erfüllung ihrer Hoffnungen für Deutschland: ein starker, demokratischer Partner und dynamische transatlantische Beziehungen. Im Jahr des Wandels, zwischen Herbst 1989 und dem 3. Oktober 1990, haben sich die Amerikaner dem Wunsch der Deutschen nach einer Einheit in Freiheit angeschlossen. Für sie war dieses Ereignis fast genauso aufregend wie für die Massen, die sich durch das Brandenburger Tor in Berlin drängten. Als sich der Ruf der Montagsdemonstrationen von „Wir sind das Volk!“ zu „Wir sind ein Volk“ wandelte und die Wiedervereinigung zur Realität wurde, sagte das amerikanische Volk „Das ist wunderbar!“

[Congratulations on the twentieth anniversary of local self-government in Brandenburg.  The fall of the Berlin Wall and Unification made many changes to the political landscape of Germany and Europe.  Strong, dynamic, democratic self-government was one of those changes.  From the American point of view, that was part of their vision for Germany -- a strong democratic partner and a dynamic transatlantic relationship.  In that transformational year between the fall of 1989 and October 3, 1990, the American people (Volk) associated with the desire of average Germans to unify in freedom.  They shared in the excitement of the crowds surging through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. As ‘Wir sind das Volk!’-- the slogan at the Montag demonstration became ‘Wir sind ein Volk’ – and Unification became a reality, Americans said ‘This is womderful!’]

President George H.W. Bush also made it very clear -- through his own words and actions -- that America stood by Germany at this critical moment. 

He wanted to show the German public -- and to reassure the other peoples of Europe -- that the new European system would offer security as well as freedom; and he succeeded.

President Bush recognized that decisions made in this period would influence the course of Europe and international relations for decades to come. The U.S. aim was to unify Europe in peace and freedom, while seeking to avoid a "Versailles victory" that invited its own destruction.  It was therefore important to ensure that individual actions meshed with the larger strategic goal of achieving security. In sum, the diplomacy of German unification sought to close out the Cold War in Europe by laying the foundation for a political and security structure for a new Europe.
The process could have been derailed by a host of obstacles but after initial misgivings, the NATO allies, especially Great Britain and France, offered solid backing for the German and American strategy.  The timing was also right. The Soviet Union was changing. Its leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was opening new doors. Eastern Europe was seething. And so it was that twenty years ago, Germany accomplished an amazing historical feat.  West and East Germany unified peacefully in the space of eleven months: the cold reality of Adenauer’s Freiheit vor Einheit, warmed into a new day of Freiheit und Einheit.

We live in a new political landscape made possible by the fall of the Berlin Wall, German unification the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the revolutions that took place in the former Soviet bloc.  These events present opportunities that were unfathomable 20 years ago.

The period after 1989 was exciting but it also brought some uncertainty.  Achieving an equitable degree of integration for the 16 million East Germans was difficult, to say the least. Integration cannot be measured solely in economic terms, nor can it be measured solely in political terms; there are many factors at work in this process, yet economics and politics are the most tangible. Chancellor Merkel herself has come to be a symbol of that process, and even she admits that it is still a work in progress. But there is a lot that has been done.

It is a fact, of course, that connections between my country and the eastern Länder were not nearly as deep or as dynamic as to West Germany.  We started working on correcting that even before the Wall came down.  My predecessor in East Berlin and his staff reached out to organizations and individuals whenever possible.  The first visit by an official from Washington was Secretary of State James Baker.  After detailing America’s position on unification in a speech in Berlin in December 1989, he made a quick decision to visit Potsdam.  That visit made a lasting impression on him.  Another time, Secretary Baker went to Halle with Foreign Minister Genscher.  Herr Genscher gave me the same tour of his hometown just last week; and we talked about the progress that has been made since then.

Since unification, numerous research institutions, technical colleges and universities in Brandenburg have cooperation agreements, partnerships and exchange programs with the appropriate institutions in the U.S.  Overall in the eastern Länder, the United States has been the top investor.  Here in Brandenburg, more than 60 U.S. affiliated companies have invested in this state, employing over 7,000 Brandenburg citizens.  Since my arrival in Berlin just over one year ago, the Embassy has reached out to over ten different municipalities in the state of Brandenburg with visits to mayors and other city representatives. Some of those municipalities have maintained extensive contact with the U.S. since the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Others played host to an American representative for the first time.  We will be exploring more avenues in the future to increase our profile in Brandenburg. 

On a broader scale, the issues that the world faces today are of a complexity that we could not have imagined twenty years ago.  We need to face these challenges with the same strategic and creative approach.   We face enormous challenges – but with each one of these challenges, comes also enormous opportunity.  Some of these issues are broad and need to be decided at national or even the international level but all of them also have impact at the local level, in your cities and municipalities.  Issues such as:  
• Climate change, environmental issues and the need to build a new green energy economy of the 21st century. 
• Financial market reform. 
• Finding the right balance between export economy strength and domestic consumption and savings.  
• Job creation and employment. 
• The domestic policy challenges revolving around social welfare. 
• Demographic issues. 
• Diversity and integration.

All of this, and I have not even mentioned the geopolitical issues that are front and center on our agenda.  Last week, direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were successfully re-launched in pursuit of a just peace in the Middle East. The parties are serious.  We believe that this conflict can be resolved and that these negotiations can produce a final agreement that enables the establishment of a Palestinian state and security for both peoples. 

Terrorism continues to threaten our citizens and our societies.  At the end of the week, we will commemorate another sad anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.  The attacks marked the start of a new era in terms of the debate about privacy and protecting free societies.   Here in the eastern Länder, I realize the debate about democracy, human rights and free speech has a very special meaning.

The “German problem” is one of the few problems in modern history that has been solved.  As the historian Fritz Stern puts it, Germany was given a second chance with unification to mark the continuing process of both remembering and renewing the commitment to what the German constitution begins with: Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar - "Human dignity shall be inviolable."

The past is inextricably part of our present.  One of the most important lessons we have learned since the end of World War II is that there is more to be gained when countries cooperate than when they collide. No nation can deal with the global challenges of the 21st century alone. We need strong partners – and nowhere are there better or more committed partners than in Europe.  Germany is a core member of the European Union. 

Our transatlantic relations form the anchor of our global diplomatic engagement.  We cannot be content to merely celebrate the achievements of the 20th century, or enjoy the comforts of the 21st century.  We must renew our institutions and our alliances.  In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more -- not less. 

And so, one of my goals is to communicate the opportunity and the potential of the 21st century German-American relationship.  In the past year, I have met with thousands of German students in what I call town hall meetings. By a town hall meeting, I mean that I don’t do all the talking.  I present my view of the present and the past of the German-American partnership and then listen to what they have to say.  My message in these meetings is simple: “Twenty years from now,” I say, “when you look back to these times, do all that you can so that you can say that our generations – yours and mine – did our part to make this world more peaceful, more prosperous, and more just.”   It will after all be up to them to seek and implement the solutions to the challenges of this young century and move forward with a new vision of what together we can accomplish.  And, when I said earlier, that we will be exploring more avenues to increase our profile in Brandenburg -- it will include town hall meetings.
 
Thank you for your kind hospitality, which I hope we can reciprocate when you come to Berlin.

Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit.