The narcissism of minor transatlantic differences shining through here created a disunited free world, which Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Taliban, President Xi of China, and many others have ruthlessly exploited.
In the shadow of Putin’s war, a revived transatlantic alliance that looks beyond the immediate crisis must emerge. Here’s how we can get there.
This is not a time for lofty speeches about the need for transatlantic unity. It is a time for decisive and immediate action aimed at turning the tide in Ukraine, followed by concrete steps to address the underlying reasons for the recent cascade of geopolitical disasters and consequent crisis of the free world.
Americans and Europeans also need to employ strategic ambiguity toward Russia, thus leaving Putin guessing as to how far they are prepared to go to deter him. In short, they must make the price of continuing the war for Putin prohibitively high, all while starting a diplomatic initiative out of a position of strength, aimed at brokering a peace deal.
Yet America and Europe cannot stop there. They jointly need to promote new hydrogen technology and infrastructure. To facilitate that, a common hydrogen market, common technological standards for green hydrogen, new hydrogen research and development infrastructure and a green hydrogen fund need to be created.
The United States, Germany and other countries of the free world need to come together to jointly secure supply routes, supply chains, and access to raw materials and technologies. To aid that process, we recommend the establishment of an early identification and warning infrastructure by the American and German governments, in close collaboration with non-state actors. This will allow for risks to prosperity, innovation and security to be identified and evaluated through regular reports.
Yet, in building a new Atlantic world, it will not be enough if Europe and America only re-learn how to identify and respond to external threats. Just as importantly, we need to forge new bonds that hold us together. This will require a close transatlantic cooperation and coordination on trade, technology, health, safety, human rights and property rights, as well as on environmental and industrial affairs, particularly through intimate cooperation in international organizations across the board.
We need to bring back to life attempts to strike a comprehensive and formal agreement between the European Union and the United States on free trade, innovation, industrial goods and investment. Any such agreement needs to be even more ambitious than the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership halted under Donald Trump.
And it should come with the prospect of welcoming regions bordering the southern Atlantic in the medium term. We also propose that new infrastructure be set up aimed at the establishment of joint climate-related data collection.
Yet ultimately any attempt of rebuilding a resilient free world, revolving around a renewed transatlantic partnership, will not be sustainable, unless we rediscover a new sense of common purpose.
We therefore recommend that federal and state governments, charitable foundations and private donors on both sides of the Atlantic to collaborate in inspiring and co-funding the establishment of a new infrastructure of engagement with Germany in American universities and think tanks. In Germany, meanwhile, funding is required to boost the teaching of strategic thinking to young Germans, aimed at training — and appreciating — the art of balancing hard and soft power in the defense of freedom and peace.
Finally, we need a new transatlantic initiative aimed at creating new peace building and monitoring capacity and capability around the world. It is one thing to bring wars — be it the one in Ukraine or the many conflicts elsewhere — to an end. It will be another to restore trust in each other, to respect each other’s dignity again and to bring people back into the fold of the free world. It will be the task of Germans and Americans to convey to the rest of the world that their partnership in leadership is not exclusive. It is open to the entire free world. It is directed against the Putins of the world, not against Russia.
