H.R. McMaster in conversation with Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations, on Wednesday, January 20th at 11:00am PT.
In this seventh episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Christopher Heusgen discuss the U.S.-Germany alliance, the European Union, and responses to humanitarian crises.
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In this episode of Battlegrounds, Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow H. R. McMaster is joined by Christoph Heusgen, the German Federation’s permanent representative to the United Nations, for a conversation about how the United States and Europe can strengthen the transatlantic alliance and address pressing issues, including the shared financial burden for NATO’s common defense, challenges to Europe’s liberal democratic order, a revanchist Russia, and an increasingly assertive China in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Heusgen asserts that there should be greater reciprocity between the United States and its European allies. American policy makers have demanded that Germany spend more money on defense, yet the United States has continually refused to meet its financial obligations to the United Nations. Furthermore, Germany spends a larger percentage of its GDP than the United States on developmental aid, which is especially critical in supporting social stability and political institutions in fledgling democracies.
Heusgen also addresses the construction of Nord Stream 2, an offshore natural gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany set to open in early 2021. He explains that even though Germany benefits by importing Russian energy resources, it hasn’t been hesitant in standing up to Moscow in cooperation with NATO’s Baltic member states.
Similarly, Heusgen discusses the European Union’s investment agreement with the People’s Republic of China, in light of the Chinese Communist Party’s repression of its Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang province, its efforts to destroy democracy in Hong Kong, and its expansionist policies in the South China Sea. He maintains that European negotiators have ensured that the treaty guarantees Europe’s investments and fair access to markets in China. He emphasizes that European stakeholders don’t benefit from China’s violations of international law and treaty obligations.
Finally, Heusgen stresses that the United States and EU member states should, when possible, align their policy objectives to more capably address challenges posed by Russia, China, and humanitarian crises in the Middle East and Africa.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Ambassador Christoph Heusgen is the Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations.
H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
Battlegrounds provides a needed forum with leaders from key countries to share their assessment of problem sets and opportunities that have implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy. Each episode features H.R. McMaster in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”
