04 April 2003
U.S.- European Cooperation Essential to Rebuild Iraq, Scholars Say
(Brookings Institution hosts seminar on trans-Atlantic rift April 3) (500) By Afzal Khan Washington File Special Correspondent Washington -- U.S. and European scholars debating how to repair the rift between the United States and Europe over the Iraq war stressed the need for trans-Atlantic cooperation in the reconstruction of Iraq once the war is over. Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington April 3, the scholars concurred that European nations and the United Nations must become part of an international effort to help build a new Iraq. Ivo Daalder, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings, said while Iraq is the "perfect storm" that divides, it also presents the "perfect opportunity" for the United States and Europe "to unite." Daalder said Iraq "has to be built, not rebuilt" and that this would require "a new governing structure" and international help. He said that NATO troops could be used for peacekeeping duties and stabilization of the country. He also recommended that reconstruction efforts in a post- Saddam Iraq be put under "a United Nations umbrella." Daalder stressed that the first thing for both the United States and Europe to do is "to recognize the rift." He said they "can't go back to the good old days" when the Cold War was on and the United States protected Western Europe from the Soviet threat. He said now Europe needed "to step up to the plate" and not expect the United States to solve all global problems. Daalder noted that European nations needed to cooperate more among themselves and project a bigger global image. Christoph Bertram, director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said that "a fundamentally changed strategic situation" in the aftermath of the Cold War is now shaping U.S.-European relations, and has brought to the surface differences over Iraq. He emphasized that the United States and Europe needed "to do it together" and help a post-war Iraq from "bottom up and not top down." Bertram said that the United States and Europe could also cooperate on policy toward North Korea and Iran. Robert Kagan, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, cautioned that "because the gulf (between the United States and Europe) is so wide" nothing big and momentous should be attempted immediately. Instead, Kagan suggested "baby steps and the right music" should govern the initial diplomatic approaches to mend the trans-Atlantic rift. Kagan suggested that the United States should recognize and accept its differences with Europe because the United States "can't make Europe not be European." Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform, said that Europe needed to take the threat from weapons of mass destruction more seriously and that it needed to do more for building up its defense capability. Grant also suggested the need for a trans-Atlantic forum beyond NATO that could include regular "fireside chats" between prominent people from both sides without the presence of politicians. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
