Event Summary
On July 11, the Center on the United States and Europe (CUSE) at Brookings hosted Jim Murphy MP, Great Britain’s Minister for Europe, for a discussion of the role of public diplomacy in the new transatlantic agenda.
Event Information
When
Friday, July 11, 2008
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Where
Saul/Zilkha Rooms
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Map
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
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In the coming years, European and American leaders will face pressing global challenges such as terrorism, international trade negotiations and climate change. The transnational nature of these challenges requires joint action and close collaboration between American and European leaders. Though the United States and Europe have a long history of cooperation on important policy issues, polls suggest that public attitudes diverge on the most appropriate solutions to these challenges. In his address, Minister Murphy discussed how public diplomacy is likely to shape policymaking in the United States and Europe and impact U.S. and European ability to engage elsewhere in the world on shared concerns.
Murphy, a member of the British Parliament for the past 10 years, was appointed Minister for Europe in June 2007. Murphy has also served as a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Whip, Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, and most recently Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for Work and Pensions. His fellow members of Parliament recently voted Murphy "Minister of the Year."
CUSE Director and Brookings Senior Fellow Daniel Benjamin provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, Minister Murphy took audience questions.
Transcript
MINISTER MURPHY: The European Union and the European continent are one. During the Cold War the U.S. administration rightly asked itself, What do we need to do in Europe? The contemporary question of course is different. It's what do we need to achieve with Europe together? There is this new space for E.U.-U.S. cooperation as European instruments such as foreign and security policy and European defense policy becomes more effective. Right now the drive in Europe is about trying to make sure that the European Union becomes a more effective global actor that drives an enduring legitimacy for its purpose and that bipolar politics that I've already spoken about of the Cold War meant that the transatlantic relationship could to a large degree be defined through the prism of democratic principles.
Twenty years ago, 40 percent of the world's states were democracies. Now it's over 60 percent. And in addition to that, China, India, and others are no longer emerging but have emerged as major players on the international scene economically and politically. So this transatlantic relationship will be defined by how it operates within the context of these contemporary challenges whether it can work cooperatively to find a strong international response to these global challenges.
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Participants
Featured Speaker
Jim Murphy
UK Minister for Europe