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The Honorable Brendan Boyle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-PA); Member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on the Budget
The Honorable Nils Schmid
Member of the German Bundestag, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; Speaker on Foreign Affairs of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group
Naz Durakoglu
Senior National Security Advisor to Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Matthew Duss
Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Rachel Rizzo
Adjunct Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program, Center for New American Security, CNAS
Knut Dethlefsen
Director, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, Washington, DC
The foundation of the European - U.S. partnership rests on bedrock of mutual commitment to the values critical to our long-standing democratic projects - individually on each side of the Atlantic, as well as how they are intertwined. This underlying foundation has shown once again that despite lapses in commitment or attention, the transatlantic partnership endures, remaining resilient and vibrant.
When cooperation at the federal and supranational level faltered, the United States and Europe remained linked through a strong and vocal efforts on the part of civil society, the private sector, legislative bodies, a free and independent press, and the arts.
Like assessing a building after a harsh storm, it is now essential to take stock of the real damage that has come from the recent lapse of U.S. commitment to our shared values of freedom, fairness, and mutual respect. In order to move forward - together - we must see the opportunity that this stress test has provided in order to operationalize President-elect Biden’s call to “Build Back Better.” What bridges can the new administration, together with Germany and Europe, (re-)build for a steadfast and sustainable relationship?
WASHINGTON, DC
fesdc[at]fesdc.org
OTTAWA, ON
canada[at]fesdc.org