Recommendations for a new transatlantic Charta: A strong Europe - A partner, not a rival to the United States

Abstract

The transatlantic relationship is in a serious crisis after the Iraq war. The mood prevailing in Washington these days was elegantly expressed by the US-National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice: ‘Punish the French, ignore the Germans, forgive the Russians.’ That alone will not heal the wounds which we inflicted upon each other. From the European perspective two main aspects need to be addressed: First and foremost, Europe must match its own standards with the reality of the twenty-first century’s strategic environment, and Europe must speak with one voice on the international stage. This one voice must be backed by credible capabilities. However, we need to recognize that a New World order in the twenty-first century can only be achieved if the nineteenth-century pattern of power politics - recently in fashion again - ceases to guide our thinking.