Transatlantic Forum 2009: Engagement and Governance
Berlin, July 1, 2009
Chargé d'Affaires John M. Koenig

We are very pleased that the Transatlantic Forum has reconvened this year in Berlin.

Dr. Maleki, on behalf of the Embassy, I would like to congratulate you and your staff for once again putting together an interesting and relevant conference agenda. I would also like to thank Dr. Ischinger from the Munich Security Conference, Gary Smith and the American Academy, and the Robert Bosch Stiftung for their support of this conference. Also my thanks to the speakers, Minister zu Guttenberg, Ambassador Mützelberg, Dr. Ackermann, Professor Weder di Mauro,Dr. Jackson Janes, and Bill Drozdiak. I know that my colleagues from the State Department, both past and present - Ambassador Daalder, Ambassador Kornblum, Dr. Slaughter - are proud to share this podium with you.

America's partnership with Europe is as strong and vital as ever, and Germany is right at the center. Within the first five months of his presidency, President Obama made two visits to Germany, as well as other European countries, to reinforce our transatlantic relationship. Just last week, the President met with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin to continue our strategic discussion.

As Senator Obama, he also visited Berlin last summer - arguably the biggest German-American event in Berlin in years, though I would still put the Embassy's sound and light show over the Brandenburg Gate last year on the 4th of July and the Amerikafest the day after right up there. Senator Obama was greeted on that summer day last year by more than 200,000 people symbolic of the reservoir of support for our country that continues to exist in Europe despite the ups and down of the opinion polls.

As partners, we share common interests and values. As partners, we also face common challenges and opportunities. Together we bring real assets to the table - diplomatic, financial, and military - for joint action to promote and defend those interests. Some ask if they have the legitimacy, flexibility and capacity to tackle the kinds of problems we face today.

The objective of all Presidents since World War II, both Democratic and Republican, has been to work with Europe to realize a joint vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace, and increasingly to extend stability, security, prosperity, and democracy not just to countries throughout Europe but around the world. One of the ways the United States seeks to further this goal is through our critical partnerships in Europe - bilateral partnerships but also through organizations such as the OECD, NATO, the European Union , and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In facing up to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, we have learned - and continue to learn - how to put these post-war relationships and institutions to best use. Some ask if they have the legitimacy, flexibility and capacity to tackle the kinds of problems we face today.

This event is called the Transatlantic Forum. But it is not by any means about the transatlantic space alone. While reinvigorating our transatlantic institutions, we must also intensify cooperation in a broader framework. Dr. Maleki mentioned our different perspectives but what is important is speed of cooperation, capacity for compromise and determination.

The recent G-20 Summits in Washington and London on the financial crisis have demonstrated the broadened importance of that forum -- a forum that was indeed created to deal with the Asian and Russian financial crises of the 1990s. G-20 working groups are now focused on the specific tasks of enhancing sound regulation, promoting cooperation and integrity in financial markets, and reforming the IMF, World Bank and other multilateral development banks. Chancellor Merkel recently turned to the G-20 to carry forward her vision of a new Charter for Sustainable Economic Activity, which would bring together a set of shared principles to guide our economic policies and interactions.

We may very well see financial conditions get worse before they get better. Still, we must not allow this crisis to derail our critical, underlying goals. The global economic and security challenges we face are too critical to ignore. By just about any measure, our connections have brought economic prosperity to both of our countries; they are strong and growing stronger by the day. Our common objectives will not be reached by decreasing capacities or turning increasingly inward. We must continue to work together as partners, despite the devastating effects of the economic crisis.

Over twenty years ago, I served at our Embassy in East Berlin. When I departed post in 1987, no one would have dreamed that the Wall that divided a city, a country, a continent, and the world, would in a few short years come down; that a peaceful revolution powered by a belief in the values of freedom and democracy would put an end to the Cold War. In the last few weeks, we once again have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands of people of all ages taking to the streets, risking everything to insist that their votes be counted and that their voices be heard. As President Obama said, "Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history."

So as I prepare to depart from Berlin -for the second time in my career - I am more optimistic this time. I am convinced that the transatlantic relationship will continue to be an essential component of global economic and security parameters. We are on the right side of history. The transatlantic relationship was the success story of 20th century diplomacy. Our task is to build on this foundation in this new century, and ensure our partnership continues to enhance our prosperity, security and well-being in Europe, North America and beyond.

Our security, our prosperity, our liberty increasingly depend on the security, prosperity, and liberty of others around the world. In his Senate confirmation testimony, and more recently in Brussels, Ambassador Ivo Daalder spoke eloquently about global politics. Reinforcing what President Obama says frequently, he described how no country can deal with the myriad of challenges and opportunities of the 21st century on its own. We are very privileged to have Ambassador Daalder with us today. Ambassador Daalder describes himself as a transatlanticist at heart. I agree. His background in academia and the policy world has spanned both sides of the ocean. As the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, his views on how to adapt the Atlantic Alliance to the rapidly changing world of the 21st century are a great scene-setter for the Transatlantic Forum 2009.

Ambassador Daalder, the floor is yours.