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MUNICH, GERMANY -- In an address to the Munich Conference on Security Policy today, Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) said that the growing disharmony between the United States and Europe -- particularly over how and when to use military might -- presents a serious threat to their common security and requires immediate attention on both sides of the Atlantic.
Lieberman said that both sides share responsibility for the breach -- from the U.S. too often failing to consult with its allies, to Europeans too often dismissing U.S. policy as naïve -- and called on NATO nations to reinvigorate their vital partnership for the sake of their shared future.
"We must urgently and honestly confront and resolve the differences that now divide us," Lieberman said of the U.S. and Europe. "If we fail to, the current continental drift will become a permanent rift, and we will all risk losing much more than family harmony. We will endanger our common security and future prosperity."
Lieberman offered his remarks during a panel discussion on NATO's future that includes the French and German Defense Ministers. He argued that while NATO nations share the basic bonds of "common values and aspirations, common enemies who threaten those values, and common fates should we fail to work together," those bonds are being weakened because of three areas of difference: the way both sides see the world and its newest problems, the words both sides use to describe each other, and the views of both sides on when to use military force.
THE WORLD WE SEE: He faulted the Administration for failing to listen adequately to our partners, citing its passive policy on global warming and its hasty retreat from discussion on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He also said that Europeans have sometimes downplayed "threats that stare you and us right in the face" -- terrorism, tyrants, and weapons of mass destruction chief among them -- and have expressed a reluctance to characterize terrorists as evil.
WHAT WE SAY: Saying that "honest policy differences and critiques have given way to caricature and hyperbole," Lieberman argued that Americans shouldn't divide Europe by speaking of "old" and "new" Europe, and that Europeans shouldn't caricature American leaders as naïve or ignorant. He noted that in the past leaders on both sides have "worked to douse the rhetorical flames, not fan them."
HOW AND WHEN WE FIGHT: Lieberman said the Administration made a mistake by not accepting NATO's offer of help in Afghanistan, sowed confusion around the world with its clumsily articulated doctrine of military preemption, and alienated foreign partners with an inconsistent and poorly-explained foreign policy.
"But it takes two hands to tear a seam," Lieberman said. "And the fact is, the hand of the Bush Administration has been assisted by the hand of many in Europe in tearing the seam that has united us for more than a half century."
Specifically, Lieberman faulted Europe for pulling back from its shared responsibility to enforce U.N. resolutions against Saddam Hussein, and for being too dependent on American military strength. Lieberman called on Europe to make a deeper commitment to fight global terrorism, building on the recently announced NATO rapid response force, and appealed to NATO nations to help the U.N. and U.S. put backbone behind U.N. mandates against Saddam Hussein.
Lieberman said that the danger posed by Saddam is clear. "If we shrink from challenging his defiance, we will not only leave a ticking time bomb ticking, we will have undermined the remaining credibility of the United Nations, and further diminished the power of NATO to protect the peace of the world," Lieberman said.
As they have in last few years, Lieberman and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) are leading a delegation of Senators and House members to the 39th annual conference, known commonly as the Wehrkunde conference. The conference is the premier discussion forum on issues of international security and brings together political officials from more than 40 countries, military officials, and business leaders.
Read text of Lieberman's remarks, as prepared for delivery
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