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International Centre for Defence and Security Accessibility
LMC 2022

A Friend in Me: Transatlantic Relations

Authoritarianism, China, Europe, NATO, Russia, Transatlantic relations, Ukraine, United States

Randy Newman, You’ve Got a Friend in Me [1995]

Seventy-five years ago in Harvard, US Secretary of State George Marshall presented a historic plan to rebuild war-torn Europe. The success of the Marshall Plan was such that it became a symbol for the delivery of immense and compassionate help to friends in great need. Once again, Europe’s security architecture has been threatened by an authoritarian state ready to wage war against democracy, freedom, and self-determination. Europe and the US have stood strongly together in response, repairing some of the fractures of the Trump years, but many have argued for them to do more. The war has perhaps shown that the transatlantic relationship retains a solid foundation, but the structures that sit above this require some remodelling to operate in a changing world.

Speakers

Carl Bildt

Co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations

David J. Kramer

Managing Director, Global Policy, George W. Bush Presidential Center

Boris Rüge
Boris Ruge

Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy of NATO

Kyllike Sillaste-Elling

Director General of the Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

Moderator

Ian Bond
Ian Bond

Director of Foreign Policy, Centre for European Reform

  • How has the transatlantic relationship stood the stress of war?
  • How can this community of democracies become stronger to deal with threats from Russia and China?
  • What will American leadership look like after 2024?
  • Can alliances be sustained when they are so dependent on the people at the top?
  • Do we need a new Marshall Plan for Ukraine?
Photos by Arno Mikkor. View all.
Networking dinner
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