"Struggle of the Major Powers" 2008/11/17 The Right Tone Last week, the Bertelsmann Foundation introduced its "Trans-Atlantic Briefing Book" in Washington. On eighty pages, the paper, produced by the Foundation and lacking any democratic legitimation, lays down foreign-policy demands on the future US administration. Addressing high-ranking US government officials, the paper highlights the central issues of current world policy. But the new US administration "will have limited time to address them," the paper states, pretending to accompany and facilitate the change of office in Washington. The demands are directed toward the first months in office of the new presidency, seeking to profit from the hardly avoidable difficulties during the transition period, in an attempt to upgrade the German-European position. "Close cooperation" between the US, Berlin and the EU is required to deal with the common challenges. Washington has to take "the right approach and tone" in its dealings with its European competitor, demands the Bertelsmann lobby.[1] "Europeans want a new relationship with America, but are looking for a US partner with an open ear, a collaborative approach and a lighter touch." Evisceration The demands of the Bertelsmann Foundation clearly correspond to activities already initiated by the EU. The "Briefing Book", which the Bertelsmann Foundation also describes as the "European Manual for Barack Obama", demands new globally binding regulations for financial markets. These would be facilitated by transatlantic agreements within a binding regulatory framework. Last Saturday's "world financial summit" of the G-20, a group of 20 industrial and threshold countries, discussed a comprehensive action plan. The inconsequential pledges cover up the profound differences between Washington and Berlin. Both sides are seeking to cushion the oncoming meltdown of their financial and economic systems with billions in tax money at the expense of their respective competitors.[2] The impending bankruptcy of the US car manufacturer General Motors (GM) is the most recent example. Germany is seeking to prevent the expected consequences through billions in government credit guarantees. The German side and the US bankruptcy administrator office are now disputing the evisceration of the GM unit Opel in Russelsheim. Prevailing With Moscow Berlin and Paris, who claim to speak in the name of the entire EU, are using their relations to Moscow in their struggle for a higher international standing. At last Friday's EU - Russian summit, both sides reaffirmed that their strategies for fighting the financial crisis are, for the most part, identical, which is why they want to cooperate with one another at the G20 Summit. If the next US government can be brought to accept the EU concept of a plan of action - if necessary with applying Russian pressure - the global financial and economic policies could be managed also in transatlantic cooperation. The Bertelsmann Foundation foresees the possibility of coordination in a "Transatlantic Economic Council" (TEC).[3] Power of Definition The Bertelsmann Foundation is demanding a change of course in Washington's policy toward Russia. Berlin has long since been relying on cooperation with Moscow to obtain access to its resources, but also as a means of establishing an alternative to its transatlantic cooperation. The punctual alliance with the Kremlin, for prevailing over the USA with a new international finance system, is exemplary. Washington should not alienate Russia unnecessarily, demand the Bertelsmann lobbyists, explaining that the US government should make use of "Europe's advantage in and insight into Russia" [4] - a demand that would lead to a German-European power of definition in relations with the Kremlin.[5] Also here, the EU is applying pressure to the US. In the aftermath of Friday's EU - Russian Summit, European Council President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded that the US abstain from deploying its missiles in Poland, if Russia abstains from deploying its in Kaliningrad. Their Role The objective of the Bertelsmann paper is similar to the EU foreign ministers' document introduced in early November, which is also directed at the incoming US administration and contains German-European demands on the White House. The paper that has been circulating in media circles over the past few days, focuses on "the conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan/Pakistan as well as the approach to Russia." It states that the EU is ready to "immediately reengage in Iraq." As a fourth focal point, the EU foreign ministers demand - just like the Bertelsmann paper - that the incoming US administration upgrade the standing of their European partners. "We must work together and not against one another" they write. "The world order has changed. The Europeans want to play their role alongside the Americans."[6] No Peace Framework The June 2006 strategy paper of the Bertelsmann Lobby states similarly, that the international system of states is facing "a renewed upheaval". Soon "the uni-polar moment, in which the USA constitutes the sole center of world policy" will be a bygone. These perspectives are already beginning to take form "in think tanks and on government staffs," the foundation wrote at the time, "in some domains of today's great power politics, they seem to already be determining policy."[7] The world order being described here - usually as "multi-polar" - is, according to the judgment of the Bertelsmann Foundation at the time, no peaceful system. The constellation of states that is in coming brings to mind "the struggle of the major European powers in the 19th Century" writes the think tank. This appraisal appears to be confirmed by the list of demands that the EU foreign ministers presented to the USA, which leave no doubt about the extent to which Germany and Europe are ready for war. The EU foreign ministers, including Frank-Walter Steinmeier, unanimously declare that legal and technical "difficulties concerning interventions" should in no way be a future "excuse for not taking action."[8]   | |
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