Transcript
STEVEN PIFER: Barack Obama and his administration are making a large investment of time in the transatlantic relationship. The President goes to Europe next week. He goes to Europe again in July, so that means he will travel to Europe three times in his first six months in office. The Vice President last week returned already from his third trip to Europe. So there's a significant amount of engagement by the President and the Vice President in getting the transatlantic relationship right. This level of engagement reflect several things: first of all, the importance that's attached here to the transatlantic relationship; second, a recognition here in Washington that the United States needs Europe as a strong and willing partner in tackling key international challenges; and third, a hope that engagement with Europe will produce common policies and cooperative action.
Certainly, there are a wide range of challenges on the agenda: the global financial and economic crisis; nuclear proliferation; Iran; terrorism; climate change; relations with an assertive Russia. And the question for the transatlantic relationship is: Can we turn this positive feeling, this commitment on both sides to engagement and consultation, into close coordination that yields common policies. And then once we have common policies, are we prepared to devote the energy, the resources, and sometimes the manpower to implement those policies successfully.
The answer to that question will tell us much about the future of the transatlantic relationship. If the answer is yes, we can see a more solid, closer relationship. If the answer is no, it will give rise to questions about continuing that relationship.
Today, we want in this conference to look at several of the key challenges before the United States and Europe: the challenge of Iran and its nuclear ambitions; the challenge of an assertive Russia; and the challenge of how to cope with terrorism. What we hope to do is identify not only areas where U.S.-European cooperation can flourish, but also to discuss some of those areas where, because of different perspectives on the two sides of the Atlantic, it may be that some extra work is necessary to ensure that the United States and Europe can be on the same page.
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