GPPi discusses need for "Global Atlanticism" at Draeger Foundation fellows reunion
GPPi Associate Director Thorsten Benner participated in a panel discussion with John Hulsman (German Council on Foreign Relations) and Constanze Stelzenmüller (German Marshall Fund of the United States, moderator) on “Redefining the Transatlantic Partnership — Shifts in the Global Power Equation”. The event was organized by the Draeger Foundation and took place in Berlin on 7 December 2007. It was part of the Draeger Foundation’s alumni 2007 reunion that brought together participants from the different Draeger transatlantic and European young leaders programs since 1984.
Benner argued that the global shift toward rising powers such as China will not undermine the Atlantic alliance. For the foreseeable future, the US and Europe will still be “partners of first resort”. When push comes to shove, Euro-Gaullism and dreams of European “contrepoids” will turn out to be bad guides for tackling pressing problems. At the same time, to remain relevant, the transatlantic alliance needs to be global in outlook since EU-US cooperation is a necessary but no longer a sufficient condition for tackling today’s problems (be it nuclear proliferation, climate change, energy security or pandemics). A “Global Atlanticism” needs to move away from the standard transatlantic “how do we feel about each other” mode. It needs to bridge different policies (security, development, trade, environment) and also include business and NGOs as important players. “Globalizing” the transatlantic discussion also means bringing representatives from the “new powers” into the fora organized by key foundations and other convenors. This is a promising way of preventing the further rise of a parallel “World Without the West” that binds together non-Western countries.
The EU in particular, Benner argued, needs to become more coherent in its global strategic outlook. Rather than sticking to old privileges (such as the claim to the IMF head) the EU should be a leader in reforming international organizations to make them fit for a world not exclusively run by the Atlantic alliance. Despite the obvious problems of deploying a mission to Chad and solving the Kosovo issue, for the EU the present situation presents a unique opportunity to improve its foreign policy coherence. The EU can build on both the new Lisbon treaty and the fact that (unlike in the days of Madeleine Albright) the US is unlikely to object to the EU’s building up more capacity. The decisive factor holding the EU back is the lack of leadership on the part of key EU politicians. Rather than confronting national myths and fears (be they the UK paranoia of the Magna Carta being taken away by black EU helicopters, the French illusions of grandeur, the German delusions of being a moral superpower or the Polish fear of losing sovereignty once more) national leaders often choose to play to them.
The panel discussion is part of a partnership between GPPi and the Draeger Foundation who is also supporting GPPi’s work on global energy governance.