A New Transatlantic Era
Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., John M. Koenig
Bavarian Landtag
Munich, February 4, 2009
Vice President Bocklet,
Members and staff of the Landtag,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you very much for the opportunity to meet with you as Munich gears up for the 45th annual Munich Conference on Security Policy. Today at the start of a new American Presidency and with a new Congress, this is an exciting time in America – and when you consider the global outpouring of goodwill – for the world. On Inauguration Day, President Obama told the two million people on the Mall and the billions who watched on tv screens around the world, “We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
President Obama did not downplay the gravity of the issues confronting us, but he sparked a unifying sense of energy and purpose: yes, indeed, together we can create a future of expanding security and opportunity. The challenges are daunting and the expectations high – both within and outside the United States-- but there is great potential for significant, transformational steps forward in addressing such issues as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the continuing threats posed by terrorist extremists, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and the dangers of climate change, pandemic disease, worldwide poverty and financial instability. Global solutions are required to address these global threats.
President Obama’s foreign policy strategy is based on three pillars: defense, diplomacy, and development. In plain words, that means that the United States will actively seek global opportunities. We will apply pressure and exert leverage wherever it may be needed.
We will cooperate with the military and other agencies of government, partner with nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and international organizations. We will empower negotiators who can protect our interests while understanding those of our negotiating partners. We will use every tool in the diplomatic toolbox to pursue the right strategy, define the right method and means of response. No challenge is greater than to get this right.
This year the Security Conference offers the new Administration an excellent opportunity to start the hard work of diplomacy. This year, Vice President Joe Biden will lead the U.S. delegation. His decision to make Munich his first overseas trip shows our commitment to engage our international partners, and to our transatlantic strategic dialogue. The Munich Security Conference is a highly regarded forum for international policy analysis and discussion.
The range of issues covered and the number of national delegations show that the Conference has greatly evolved since the first meeting in 1962. Since then, our world has undergone an extraordinary transformation. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, forty years of a Cold War had influenced every aspect of our foreign policy. Now, in 2009, the clear lesson of the last 20 years is that our security and our prosperity oblige us to recognize the overwhelming fact of our interdependence. Old rules and boundaries no longer hold fast. Today’s world is one in which both the promise and the peril of the 21st century are not contained by national borders or vast distances.
The challenges we face are new; so too, the instruments we use to meet them. But success will depend, as Secretary of State Clinton has said, and I quote, on “sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.” Look at the depth and breadth of the connections between the United States and Germany. They play a defining role not just in our bilateral relationship. Our deep interdependence is also vital to global security and prosperity. The United States has no more trusted allies than those in Europe. The new Administration intends to deepen this traditional relationship of confidence and trust with Europe based on shared values, vision, and interests. The Vice-President’s visit is the first opportunity to build on those connections.
As dramatic changes have swept the globe since the fall of the Berlin Wall, both Europe and the United States have taken on new responsibilities and burdens in critical parts of the world. This will not change. Indeed, in the years to come, we -- Americans and Europeans alike -- will be required to do more, not less. The transatlantic Alliance in all its aspects (be they economic, security, technological, or cultural), with a strong German-American strategic partnership at its center, will play a major role in America’s reinvigorated commitment to diplomacy.
Not only do we stand on the threshold of a new reinvigorated era of American diplomacy, I believe we also stand on the threshold of a new era of transatlantic diplomacy – one that will be defined by new responsibilities and strengthened commitments.
President Obama has called upon all Americans, as citizens of a great democracy, to join in addressing the challenges we face in the 21st Century. As we Americans “pull ourselves up and dust ourselves off,” I believe the sympathy and support of Germany and other friends and partners are a source of hope and strength. As President Obama has said, partnership and cooperation among nations are the responsibilities of global citizenship. Taking responsibility is the price of global leadership.
Guantánamo
Within 48 hours of taking office, President Obama demonstrated his commitment to diplomacy and foreign relations. He signed executive orders to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, within a year, to ban the harshest interrogation methods, and to establish procedures for handling future detainees.
With those three executive orders, the President emphasized that the United States intends to continue the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism, vigilantly and effectively -- “in a manner consistent with our values and our ideals.” These ideals and the willingness, as President Obama put it: “to observe core standards of conduct not just when it's easy, but also when it's hard” are the foundation of an effective strategy to deal with the violence emanating from terrorist organizations around the world.
On the specific issue of Guantánamo, closure of the facility is the ultimate goal but not the first step. Under the new executive orders, an interagency committee made up of the attorney general, the secretaries of state, defense, and homeland security, and top military and intelligence officials will review the status of detainees as part of the complicated legal process needed to close the Guantánamo facility. A task force has already begun a case-by-case review of each of the remaining 245 detainees.
That task force will consider policy options for apprehension, detention, trial, transfer, or release of detainees and conduct a review of detainee policy going forward. Obviously, a critical element of this review process will be close cooperation with our international partners. European Union foreign ministers met last week in Brussels to discuss issues concerning closing the Guantánamo facility. As Secretary of State Clinton stated following her meeting yesterday in Washington, the United States is not yet ready to make any specific request to Germany or other nations. But we appreciate these first efforts to design and implement solutions to ensure that people everywhere are safer.
I understand that these issues have been debated here in the Landtag’s chambers. We understand they are not easy to address. The American Government understands the burden we must shoulder to restore the integrity of our policy and practice while protecting our people from terrorist threats. We welcome any support that will help us move forward to effectively counter violent extremists that threatens us all.
Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East are in the forefront of the regional foreign policy challenges that the new Obama administration faces. President Obama looks at the region as a whole. His first foreign media interview was with al Arabiyah, an Arabic media outlet.
His message to the Arab and the Muslim world is that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interests.
Iraq
In Iraq, the government and people are increasingly ready to assume responsibilities and manage the challenges of national life. Last weekend’s provincial elections were almost violence-free. They were an important step forward for Iraqis in building inclusive, representative democratic institutions and making progress toward national reconciliation.
President Obama is working with Defense Secretary Gates and senior military commanders on a series of options – ranging from a completion of the work of the brigade combat teams to a transition to an “assist and advisory” role in 16 months. Iraq is not yet a completed task. The Status of Forces agreement sets a schedule for reduction of U.S. forces, but there are still potential threats that could up-end this fragile progress. An important factor in considering any option must be preserving the hard-won security gains of the last year-and-a-half.For people living in despair, without opportunity, or the ability to determine their own destinies, two powerful trends bring hope. The first is the advance of freedom that extends the power of democracy.
Second, by jump starting troubled economies, direct investments by international companies can transform lives across the developing world. Chancellor Merkel has expressed strong interest in developing economic and business ties in Iraq. Last summer, German Economics Minister Glos, along with a sizeable business delegation, visited Iraq. He was the first member of the German government to visit Baghdad since the war began. Foreign Minister Steinmeier plans a visit to Iraq in the near future. In addition to these important demonstrations of official engagement, the German private sector can make a lasting contribution by investing and doing business in Iraq. We hope the lively interest of German companies in northern Iraq will soon extend to the center and south of the country, where the security situation has improved dramatically in recent months. A growing Iraqi economy, with clear and transparent rules, will help the entire Middle East to become more free, prosperous, and secure.
Ongoing active engagement – military, diplomatic and economic – with Iraq and neighboring countries is essential. The entire region requires this kind of an interconnected approach.
For this reason, on his second day on the job, President Obama went to the State Department for the joint announcement of the naming of two special envoys.
Middle East Peace
President Obama and Secretary Clinton named former Senator George Mitchell to serve as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. Lasting peace requires more than a long cease-fire. The U.S. will sustain an active commitment to seek two states living side by side in peace and security. Special Envoy Mitchell will carry forward this commitment, as well as the effort to help Israel reach a broader peace with the Arab world that recognizes its rightful place in the community of nations. Senator Mitchell has just returned from the Middle East and Europe. There were no meetings with Hamas. Hamas can be a part of the peace process by accepting the principles outlined by the Quartet: renunciation of violence and terror, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements between the parties, including the Roadmap.
Like other members of the Obama foreign policy team, George Mitchell is a man of enormous stature. He is one of the few people who have international experience brokering successful peace deals. Ultimately, however, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. But President Obama believes that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. It is time to return to the negotiating table. We are confident that working in tandem with the European Union, Russia, and all the Arab states in the region, we can make significant progress.
Developments on the Gaza border show how fragile truces can be. Germany’s efforts to achieve a durable ceasefire in Gaza are much appreciated. Chancellor Merkel’s timely, active engagement with regional leaders and other partners was crucially important. And Foreign Minister Steinmeier is already in close contact with Special Envoy Mitchell.
On Germany's initiative, an EU Work Plan for Gaza was adopted last month in Brussels. In that Plan, the EU agreed on the main areas of its further commitment in the Middle East – humanitarian action, reconstruction, the opening of border crossings, effective border control and the prevention of arms trafficking, as well as intra-Palestinian reconciliation and the resumption of a political process. The United States will work hand in hand with the EU in implementing the Work Plan.
Afghanistan
The situation in Gaza is just one of the issues that President Obama discussed with Chancellor Merkel in a telephone conversation during his first week in office. They also discussed a shared German and American commitment to Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan are our greatest strategic security challenge. It is the central front in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. It is the paramount test of our ability to develop and implement an effective comprehensive approach combining the three components I mentioned at the outset – defense, diplomacy, and development.
There is no solution for Afghanistan that does not confront the al Qaeda and Taliban bases along the border to Pakistan. As we have seen from attacks on 9/11 and afterwards, the danger reaches far beyond the borders of either of those countries.
President Obama and Secretary Clinton named Ambassador Richard Holbrooke to be Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan on the same day that George Mitchell was appointed. Ambassador Holbrooke has extensive and very distinguished record of diplomatic leadership, including here as the American Ambassador to Germany. He will help lead our effort to forge and implement a strategic and sustainable approach to this critical region. One of Ambassador Holbrooke’s major roles will be to coordinate U.S. civilian government efforts to achieve maximum effectiveness, and work with all U.S. agencies, including the military. He will also work with other nations and international representatives.
There are more than forty nations, hundreds of NGOs, universities, development banks, the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and more, involved in Afghanistan.
From 2003 to 2006, I was posted at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. I was involved in efforts to expand NATO’s Afghanistan operation and in activating the newly created NATO Response Force to lead a disaster relief operation after the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. I will never forget the pivotal role that Germany played in extending NATO’s ISAF operation outside of Kabul; all of us salute the Germany’s strong and sustained commitment to helping Afghans stabilize and develop their country.
Today what we see in Afghanistan is a combined civil-military effort that puts soldiers side-by-side with development workers, diplomats and police trainers. Whether flying helicopters across the desert at night, embedding trainers with the Afghan military and police, conducting tribal councils with village elders, or running joint civilian-military Provincial Reconstruction Teams, institutions are reinventing the way they do their jobs.
To succeed, we will need to tighten and improve coordination of our efforts – among international actors and with Afghanistan’s government and other institutions. Our strategy depends upon transatlantic cooperation and a better, more seamless relationship between the NATO and the EU.
Each organization brings special strengths and capabilities to the table that complement one another. In Afghanistan, for example, the EU police mission fills a niche in which NATO does not have competence. Germany’s contribution to these training missions is essential – and much appreciated. We are especially pleased that Bavaria is now willing to send police trainers to Afghanistan. Germans are the export Meisters of the world, and Bavarians the export Meisters of Germany. We are glad you’re also exporting your expertise in police work.
The ongoing evolution of the transatlantic security partnership, with new missions and new tools, will be an important topic at the NATO Summit in April.
I share Jaap de Hoop Scheffer’s opinion that we will demonstrate to all that NATO is indeed ready to meet the challenges, but also the promise, of the 21st century.
Iran
Iran demonstrates another, very different but no less important example of international cooperation. Here, too, Germany is a key strategic partner for the new American Administration. The U.S. and its partners in the P5+1 – what you often call the EU3 + 3 -- continue to follow a dual track strategy of offering negotiations and incentives, while increasing the pressure on the Iranian regime to accept this opportunity. Both tracks are essential, and we are considering ways to enhance both tracks together with our partners. The U.S. Government’s position regarding Iran is clear: Tehran must end its support for terrorism, address international concerns with its nuclear program, and become a constructive member of the international community.
President Obama has emphasized his willingness to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but also where there are potential avenues for progress. His first foreign media interview was with Al Arabiya, the Arabic-language news channel. In that interview, he picked up on a theme from his inaugural speech when he said, and I quote, “If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.”
There are many other areas where international – and in particular transatlantic – cooperation is essential.
Financial Crisis
The world is now in the crosscurrents of a severe global economic contraction. The solutions will have to be as wide in scope as the causes themselves, taking into account the complexities of the global economy.. But here again, as we work to repair the damage, we can find new ways of working together.
Last autumn’s G-20 meeting in Washington and the upcoming G-20 meeting in London are important for developing patterns of sustained engagement, particularly enlisting the full support of large, emerging economies like China, India and Brazil. It will take hard work and careful negotiation to carry this project forward. Germany plays a leading role within the EU and the G-8. Strong German leadership and input is crucial to the success of our global economic reforms.
Climate Change and Energy Security
European leaders have long hoped the United States would do more internationally to confront climate change. President Obama understands and is prepared to act with appropriate urgency on this issue. "This moment of peril,” he said, “must be turned to one of progress."
With the appointment of Todd Stern as the Special Envoy for Climate Change, the new administration underlined the importance it attaches to addressing global climate change and the corollary issue of clean energy. The United States has committed to reach agreement on a post-2012 international effort to combat climate change. We continue to see the December 2009 meeting in Copenhagen as a critical milestone and will work hard with our partners to reach agreement by then. At the same time, we will work nationally and with partners to increase our energy security. In addition to investing in alternative sources and renewables, we will seek to diversify the sources and delivery routes for more traditional energy resources, such as gas and oil. Europe, and especially Germany, will be a key partner in all these endeavors.
Domestically, President Obama has set ambitious goals for reduction of CO2 emissions and increased use of renewable energies. The new administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan is, as the president puts it “a down payment on the economy.” Clean energy investments will double the capacity to generate alternative energy over the next three years. He has directed the Department of Transportation to implement higher fuel efficiency standards for carmakers' 2011 model year. For as President Obama says: “If we take action, we can create new industries and revive old ones; we can open new factories and power new farms; we can lower costs and revive our economy. We can do that, and we must do that.”
On that can-do note, I will conclude. Again it has been a privilege to address you this evening. I am looking forward to a very interesting and productive security conference.
I would like to thank the state of Bavaria and the city of Munich for their hospitality to the U.S. delegation -- to Vice-President Joe Biden, National Security Advisor Jim Jones, Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg, Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus and other senior American military officers, Senators John Kerry, John McCain and Joe Lieberman and their distinguished Congressional colleagues. There is a message in the level and diversity of the United States delegation that will be in Munich this year, a message that will grow clearer as they engage in conversations and attend meetings in the halls of the Bayerischer Hof. I am convinced that this conference will help set the tone for transatlantic cooperation – and help set the stage for upcoming meetings in London, Strasbourg, Baden-Baden and Copenhagen True partnership and true progress require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and most important, act together with a sense of urgency and common purpose.
Thank you very much.