EVENTS

Date:	Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Time:	12:15 PM -- 2:00 PM
Location:	Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

December 2005

Bridge over Troubled Waters: Putting Transatlantic Relations back on Track

As the freedom agenda takes center stage in the Bush administration's foreign policy strategy, transatlantic relations seem in many ways to have been sidelined. The European-American divide over the war in Iraq and the difficulties faced by Europeans and Americans in Afghanistan have deepened the transatlantic rift. However, advancing the freedom agenda will necessitate strong relations with stable countries with a long history of democratic self-government. On December 14, AEI hosted assistant secretary of European and Eurasian affairs, Daniel Fried, to discuss Bush's freedom agenda and the ways in which transatlantic relations may positively impact it.

The Honorable Daniel Fried
U.S. Department of State

While the United States still faces the challenge of the detainee issue in Europe, it must focus on the need for closer relations with the European Union to promote democracy and freedom worldwide, particularly in the Middle East. Only through a combined U.S.-EU effort will the United States defeat terrorism and its support network, and since President George W. Bush’s Second Inaugural Address, significant progress toward reaching this goal has been made. Specifically, German chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bundestag speech (in which she spoke of freedom and Germany’s shared values with the United States), consensus between the United States and the EU over promoting democracy worldwide, and growing European support for the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative are all examples of such progress. Thus, the true purpose of the U.S.-EU relationship, which has already begun to be realized, is to work together to support the spread of freedom.

The U.S.-EU agenda for 2006 includes issues not only related to the spread of democracy in the Eastern European and Eurasian states, but also in the Middle East. First in the Balkans, the United States and the EU, together with Russia, will work to resolve Kosovo’s final status, and the United States will also work to advance the Balkan states’ EU prospects. In Eastern Europe and Eurasia, the United States and European Union will work together to promote and consolidate democracy in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, and confront the remaining dictators there rather than continuing to turn a blind eye. The United States has already shown evidence of such a willingness in Uzbekistan where refusing to ignore President Karimov’s repressive tactics resulted in the loss of a military base. Furthermore, the United States and the EU together must continue to advance the prospects for peace between Israel and Palestine, and particularly, the United States must continue to involve the European Union. While European security participation at the Rafah crossing is such an example, the Europeans can do more. Finally, the U.S.-EU strategy must involve strengthening and outlining a more clear strategy for NATO, which needs more tools and political will to do its job effectively.

While many of these matters cover a broad spectrum, three major issues will continue to remain at the forefront. First, stabilizing Iraq is in everyone’s interest, and a stable Iraq must remain at the core of the U.S.-EU common security agenda. While Europeans have begun to express support for stabilizing Iraq and facilitating reform throughout the region, Europe must act in a meaningful and tangible way. The second major issue involves Iran, which will serve as a big challenge for the United States and Europe in 2006. The United States and the EU-3 made progress in 2005, but the problem with Iran remains unresolved. While pressure must increase on the Iranian government to comply with the international community, the United States and the European Union must also reach out to the Iranian people as well and provide them with hope. Finally, the last major component of the U.S.-EU agenda for 2006 will be to advance reform in the greater Middle East. Skepticism over democratic reform in the Middle East is beginning to wane, and now some Arab leaders are becoming more optimistic about a future that embraces freedom. The United States and the European Union must continue to support and facilitate reforms by remaining positive and maintaining course.

While unilateral American action is always an option, it is not the best option. America and the European states constitute a single democratic civilization with common values, and together they share a reputation of democratic legitimacy. Only together can the United States and European Union work to advance freedom and democracy. While disagreements over tactics may occur, a united strategy with common values will prevail.

AEI intern Jared Feiger prepared this summary.