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The United States and Europe: An Agenda for Engagement

School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University
18 October 2010

This event was moderated by Dan Hamilton with speaker Philip Gordon, who is
currently the Assistant Secretary for the US Department of State’s Bureau of European
and Eurasian Affairs.

Assistant Secretary Gordon spoke at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International

Studies (SAIS) about US-European relations, arguing that the United States must work
with Europe to meet global challenges. He cited shared values and interests as an
important factor in US engagement with Europe. Gordon presented an assessment of
the strategic objectives that the US and Europe share, including meeting global
challenges, working with Europe on Europe, and forging a more constructive
relationship with Russia. He also assessed the ability of the partnership to meet those
objectives and outlined his thoughts on the prospects for further transatlantic
cooperation.

First, Gordon argued that there has been significant progress in fostering a better
relationship with Europe, stating that the US and Europe have “worked together as
never before” since Barack Obama was elected. Gordon pointed out that the US and
Europe have many common strategic goals. This includes Afghanistan, where he
praised European countries for stepping up their commitments with both troops and
funding in the last few years, calling their contributions “indispensable.” Another issue
that the US and Europe have worked closely together on is Iran, where there is a unified
policy to engage the country to prevent nuclear proliferation. Additionally, the EU
complemented the UN sanctions regime by implementing their own sanction measures
against Iran. Europe and the US have also worked closely on improving the economy,
especially through forums like the G20.

Next, Gordon discussed the issue of cooperation within Europe, stating that the US has
a vital interest in the extension of prosperity, democracy, and security throughout the
European continent. While European integration has been highly successful, there is
still more work to be done. Gordon pointed out that recent trips made by US Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton to Europe in July and October of this year indicate that the US’s
global agenda does diminish its interest in the completion of Europe. Secretary Clinton
made it a priority to coordinate her recent trips with EU officials, including the EU’s new
chief of foreign policy, Catherine Ashton. Gordon pointed out that neither the US nor the
EU can succeed without the other in this area. The United States is working in
cooperation with the EU on both the Eastern Partnership and the Balkans.

Gordon also addressed the recent reset between Russia and the West. The United
States sees significant dividends in working more closely with Russia on a wide range
of issues and is looking to build a more pragmatic relationship. The US, Europe, and
Russia all have similar global interests and the United States believes working with
Russia on these will advance the global goals of the US. On issues where
disagreements exist, the US and Russia must agree to disagree. Gordon pointed to the
New START treaty negotiations and cooperation on Iran as ways that the US and
Russia are working together. However, working with Russia will not require a
compromise by the US on key principles, especially on territorial rights and sovereignty
of all European countries. When asked about the tripartite meeting between France,
Germany, and Russia, Gordon emphasized that US officials were in close contact with
their French and Russian counterparts throughout the planning process and that US
officials see the meetings as evidence of a desire to cooperate. Gordon also mentioned
that the NATO-Russia Council is underperforming and emphasized the need to make
this and other existing institutions better, saying that recent proposals for a new security
treaty between Russia and Europe is not necessary.

In looking to the future, Gordon highlighted three upcoming summits that the United
States believes are vital for transatlantic relations. The upcoming NATO summit
promises to revitalize the alliance by creating a new vision, granting the organization
21st century capabilities, addressing organizational reform, fostering new relationships,
and deepening old relationships. A transitional strategy for Afghanistan will also be
addressed at the NATO summit. Additionally, the invitation extended by NATO to Russia
to join the summit will hopefully allow for greater cooperation in shared areas of interest,
allow for more joint exercises, and foster more transparent relations between NATO and
Russia. Following the NATO summit, there will be an EU-US summit. The US hopes
that this meeting will allow for greater coordination of aid resources and will address
issues related to counterterrorism and foreign policy. Gordon noted that this is the first
post-Lisbon Treaty meeting between the EU and the US, remarking that the US strongly
supports the EU’s movement towards creating a stronger EU, calling it a “milestone for
Europe.” Gordon also addressed the upcoming summit for the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which will mark the 35th anniversary of the
passage of the Helsinki Final Act. The US hopes the summit will revitalize the OSCE’s
efforts in areas such as the role of civil society, energy security, military transparency,
and the creation of an OSCE crisis response team.