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7 November, 2024
This year’s NATO Talk conference took place at the historic Adlon Hotel in Berlin today.
The conference, under the theme “World Politics in Transition – Europe and NATO after the US Elections” was jointly organized by the German Atlantic Society and the George C. Marshall European Center For Security Studies.
The conference was attended by mandarins from politics, the defence establishment, and the media to brainstorm and analyse the consequences for the world after the US election.
Addressing the conference, Siemtje Möller, a Member of the Bundetag (Federal Parliament, and the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence described the re-election of Donald Trump as “a turning point.”
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She observed that the results of the elections in the US carry with it a number of uncertainties in the realms of foreign and security policy, mentioning support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Siemtje Möller called on Germany to assume more responsibility within NATO adding that aid for Ukraine must be secured in the long term, and described the Russian attack on Ukraine as “a declaration of war on the West.”
She said that the main focus of the Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) had already been placed back on alliance and national defence.
“A strong Bundeswehr mean a stronger Europe and NATO. A strong NATO in turn secures peace in Europe,” says Smietje Möller.
Among items on the business calendar of the conference include a number of Panel discussions, amongst them: The outcome of the elections in the USA and their strategic consequences, War in Ukraine, the threat of Russia, the challenge of China – what NATO and the Europeans must do; Hybrid warfare – systemic confrontation with China and Russia and Integrated deterrence and defence – consequences for Germany and the Bundeswehr.
Addressing the topic: “The outcome of the elections in the USA and their strategic consequences,” panellists discussed the implications of the US elections for Europe, particularly the war in Ukraine.
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They mentioned the impact of the election of Donald Trump globally and analysed possible security challenges Germany might face in the years ahead.
Other speakers at the conference urged calmness. In the opinion of Benard Finel, calmness was needed as “NATO had already survived and mastered crises and challenges in the past,” adding that Europe should not worry about NATO’s continued existence.
This year’s NATO Talk was highly educative covering richly packaged topics. The presentations were also copact and crisp, to the point.
For instance, Theresa Winter from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, who moderated the second panel at the conference elaborated on the European players within the context of the war in Ukraine exploring the question of the role Euro-American coordination regarding the Ukraine war was shaping up and what the most urgent fields of action were.
Panelist Ulrich Speck emphasized the need for Ukraine to be at the centre of attention by European policy makers stressing that Ukraine was the battlefield where the future of Europe was defined.
The consensus amongst panelists was that Russia’s expansionist drive was currently the biggest problem for the European order.
Russia’s hybrid warfare against Western and European states also came up for deliberation at the conference.
AfricaNewsAnalysis
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