20 Years after 1989 – Looking Back and Ahead

October 22, 2009

German Marshall Fund Conference
Berlin
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

Herr Kerkhoff, Herr Reich,
es ist mir eine Ehre, mit Ihnen diese Konferenz zu eröffnen.
Meine Damen und Herren, ich bin sehr froh, heute Abend bei Ihnen zu sein.

Diese Konferenz würdigt einen wichtigen Jahrestag. Der Fall der Mauer war ein Sieg für die Menschlichkeit, für die Demokratie und die Menschenrechte. Es waren die Bürger der DDR, die mit ihrer Entschlossenheit und Beharrlichkeit die Mauer zum Einsturz brachten. Wir gratulieren allen Deutschen zu diesem wichtigen Tag. Diese Glückwünsche kommen wirklich aus tiefstem Herzen. Die meisten Menschen – Deutsche wie Amerikaner – hätten sich nie erträumt, dass sie die Mauer fallen sehen würden. Als es passierte, war das auch ein wichtiger Meilenstein für die amerikanische Außenpolitik. Und Sie können mir glauben: Die Amerikaner saßen gebannt vor Ihren Fernsehern, als die ersten Trabis nach Westberlin rüber fuhren.

Craig, congratulations to you and your colleagues at the German Marshall Fund, both here in Berlin and in Washington, for organizing this conference. 

Ladies and gentlemen, you have come to Berlin from around Europe and from both sides of the Atlantic.  Many of you are Marshall Memorial Fellows and alumni.  Thank you all for coming and for those of you from other cities and countries, welcome to Berlin. What better way to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. 

For the last 60 years, a mutual understanding based on the same fundamental values has underlined the relationships between successive American and European governments, throughout all levels of government.  But for two-thirds of that time, a wall prevented many Germans from being able to enjoy basic freedoms and democracy.

Shortly after the wall went up, an American President came to Berlin and, with one simple German sentence, he summed up America’s commitment to those values.  “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

Shortly before the wall came down, another American President came to Berlin and with another simple sentence, he again reaffirmed America’s ongoing commitment to those values for all of Germany’s people. “Tear down that wall.”

And a little over a year ago, Barack Obama, not yet President, spoke in Berlin.  “People of the world,” he said, “look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.”

Until that wall came down, Germany was front and center in the minds of most Americans, while the country’s division preoccupied all Germans, East and West.  Since 1989, ideological walls have come tumbling down everywhere, bringing hope to people around the world.   But that new promise has also brought new peril.  Today we face challenges of a complexity that we would never have dreamed possible twenty years ago.  German-American issues may no be longer front and center in the newspapers, but certainly the German-American and transatlantic relationships are the most important to the United States. 

At a time when numerous players are competing for influence, from rising powers to corporations to criminal cartels; from NGOs to al-Qaeda; from state-controlled media to Twitter, our partnership is crucial. 

How can we cope with the global tests of our times?   There is one short answer: together.  

As Ambassador, my goal is to reinforce that message, to communicate the new optimism and commitment to the transatlantic relationship that President Obama has made possible. One of President Obama’s goals is, and I quote, “to renew our relationship for a new generation, in a new century."  To reach that new generation, we are holding a series of town halls at German schools and universities around this country.  And, do you know what?  The perfect world that these young people want meshes with the vision that is symbolized by the basic benchmarks of freedom and democracy that I referred to earlier. Solving the world’s greatest policy challenges requires patience, skillful planning, a keen understanding of region-specific facts and trends. These challenges require us to make difficult choices that balance today’s interests against the quest for long-term peace and stability. But solving today’s greatest challenges also requires us to have a vision for our crucial transatlantic cooperation. We can create the same sense of magic that people felt 60 years ago when Europeans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other just a few years after facing each other on the field of battle; the same magic that happened 20 years ago when the wall came down. 

President Obama is convinced that our partnership is going to be essential if we are to make progress on some of the critical global issues that we face.  The Nobel Committee reinforced his resolve with their recent decision to award him the Peace Prize. As you know, he was both surprised and humbled by that decision but he will accept the award as a call to action for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

Looking over your conference agenda, I see you will be addressing many of these issues over the next three days.  I wish you all productive and interesting discussions and insights on how you can all move the dial on these crucial topics of the day.