speeches
Koerber Foundation’s USable Prize Ceremony
Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr.
Berlin
June 26, 2006
Dr. Schmidt,
Professor Süssmuth,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to participate in the 8th USable prize ceremony. This ceremony is all about recognizing and adapting ideas that have worked elsewhere to situations closer to home. The whole USable concept is in itself such a good idea, I wish we could give it a prize.
Just last week, the U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes accompanied a youth soccer delegation to one of the American World Cup games. We spent a long time together, talking about public diplomacy. Sharing and building on good ideas is what public diplomacy is all about. This is what we are trying to accomplish. Our sincere thanks and appreciation go to the Koerber Stiftung for its commitment and dedication to our international partnership. For, in my opinion, the USable concept also sums up the climate of innovation, discourse and exchange that is the trans-Atlantic relationship -- a relationship marked by new starts in a New World, revolution, commitment, dedication, and an ongoing renewal of common goals.
In the early years of America’s history, Britain, France, and Germany were at the forefront of new ideas, especially in science and mathematics. The United States lagged behind in the formulation of theory, but it excelled in using theory to solve problems. This tradition was born of necessity. Americans lived far from the well-springs of Western science and manufacturing, but they often had to figure out their own ways of doing things. When Americans combined theoretical knowledge with "Yankee ingenuity," the result was a flow of inventions by American inventors like Robert Fulton, Samuel Morse, Eli Whitney, Thomas Alva Edison, and people like my German immigrant great-grandfather.
Two of America's founders were themselves innovators and inventors. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were also America’s first diplomats, serving their new country in the capitals of Europe. This was the time of the Enlightenment. Discussion of ideas fueled our early relationship. Things have not changed since.
This year America commemorates the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s birth. To this day, he is remembered as one of America's greatest citizens. He was America’s original idea man. As he himself said, “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten. Either write things worth reading. Or do things worth writing.” Benjamin Franklin did both. He is remembered because his ideas are still alive in our world today.
Benjamin Franklin was also a social innovator. He came up with solutions and implemented his ideas to establish public libraries, local police departments, and volunteer fire brigades. He was instrumental in developing paper currency in the United States. He was behind a project to pave and light the city streets of Philadelphia. He was one of a group of people who founded the Philadelphia General Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania. He established partnerships with apprentices in his printing industry to build up the printing and publishing industry.
You could say, well, it was easy back then. There was so much to do. But the techniques that Benjamin Franklin used to implement his ideas are still valid – and have a lot to do with public diplomacy -- as well as entrepreneurship. Social innovation, then and now, calls for some unique skills and expertise. Franklin did not act alone to implement any of the ideas I just mentioned. His tactic was to obtain feedback and use this feedback both to refine and to extend his ideas. He floated “trial balloons” and worked on building a broad base of support. He conducted demonstration projects; he formed clubs, and so on. What do these observations about Franklin tell us about the conditions and tactics that make for effective social innovation? That the capacity to recognize emergent ideas and envision and communicate their broader implications is vitally important. This is the message that the teachers, the community workers, the public librarians bring back from some of our Embassy-arranged programs in the area of social innovation. This also brings us back full circle to the USable awards – adapting, improving, building on ideas that have worked elsewhere to situations closer to home.
This is an exciting time in Germany. The World Cup has captured a spirit and optimism that is contagious -- despite all the difficult challenges of the 21st century. The FIFA World Cup 2006 is a resounding success. Why? Because the people of Germany have truly brought their two World Cup mottos to life. This is “A Time to Make Friends” and Germany is indeed a “Land of Ideas.” Let’s continue in this grand spirit.
Congratulations to this year’s winners and thank you again to the Koerber Stiftung.
As prepared for delivery.
