The Ambassador
A Strong Europe Is Very Important For The United StatesSunday's headline in "Novi list," which proclaimed the "U.S. Does Not Want a Strong Europe," is not true today, it was not true yesterday and it will not be true tomorrow. My 34 years of experience dealing with relations between Europe and the United States tells me the opposite is the case. Our policy is to support a strong Europe. We continue to work together with our European friends and colleagues to produce an enlarged, peaceful, stable, and more assertive Europe, with which we cooperate and negotiate every day. During post-war reconstruction and then the Cold War the U.S. worked hard to help build a strong Europe. The Marshall Plan, by which the US Government contributed billions of dollars in economic assistance to Europe on the condition that European nations decide together how to make use of it, was the most successful foreign aid program of all time. It also directly encouraged the formation of cooperative programs that led to today's European Union. We made this financial commitment partly because we wanted a reliable partner to face the Soviet challenge, but more so because we knew from experience that only prosperity and unity would secure peace in the continent. With the end of the Cold War, our policy did not change but instead adapted to meet our common interests. Today, America wants a strong partner in Europe to help deal with global problems, such as Iran's effort to develop nuclear weapons, the Darfur crisis and the fight against HIV/AIDS, as well as transnational issues such as trafficking in persons, anti-terrorism and bringing peace to the Middle East. Economically we seek a strong, competitive Europe, because we know that democracies with open economies compete in the markets, not on battlefields; in the end, such competition makes us all stronger.Our policy in South Central Europe have been consistent with this philosophy. Our 407 million dollars in assistance to Croatia alone since 1992 is but one sign of our commitment in this endeavor. The enlargement of NATO and the European Union continue to make partners out of former rivals. Our goal has been to help European institutions develop that will lead to greater prosperity while consigning regional conflicts to the past. The progress on this front is nothing less than remarkable.Today we see unity of purpose, for example, as the U.S., France, and other European nations worked closely to put a lasting end to the conflict in Lebanon. President Bush has said "a strong Europe is very important for the United States." These are not mere words, but a policy of action and a philosophy that guides our daily relationship.So while I respect former President Gorbachev's place in history as a statesman, I'm afraid his views on U.S.-European relations are misguided. Those who work with the EU on a daily basis will tell you that Europe and the U.S. agree on most things. Where we don't, we talk about it. I see that as a sign of health. But one thing we always agree on is that both the U.S. and Europe need the transatlantic partnership - and we need our partners to be strong.Robert Bradtke
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia
