Merkel,
Sarkozy, and Brown: The potential for a Grand
Alliance
Brittany
M. Coskery
September
2007
brittanycoskery@hotmail.com
?The
concept of a Grand Alliance as presented by Pelanda
is something that can be seen as potentially achievable. In order to make such
an alliance possible, it will be necessary for a convergence of sorts between
the major European powers and that of the United States. In particularly, the
role of new governmental leadership within these nations will be critical in
ensuring such an alliance. In examining the current foreign policies of leaders
like Angela Merkel of Germany,
Nicolas Sarkozy of France,
and Gordon Brown of Great
Britain, the likelihood of a Grand Alliance
within the next few years must be considered.
?An
obvious factor in such an alliance between Europe
and The U.S. is clearly that of administrative change through the American
elections in 2008. This will be necessary before any type of alliance can form,
as Bush has made clear with his foreign policy. Whether or not the next
administration will play into such an alliance remains unknown—however, given
the political climate taken by three of the leaders in Europe
previously mentioned, such an alliance is clearly possible, and would likely
benefit those involved. The current political climate in the U.S. could in fact help such an alliance—with
Bush’s approval ratings in recent months, it is clear that the general
consensus is ready for a shift in power and approach to key issues, like the
war in Iraq and the
potential threat that Iran
poses. Because of the approach taken by some European leaders, the latter could
be a key negotiation point in the formation of an alliance.
?Angela
Merkel, the first female chancellor of Germany, has the ability to play a
major role in negotiations towards an alliance. Since her election in 2005, her
stance towards German- U.S. relations has been firm. As
she said in her March 2007 speech to commemorate the anniversary of the
Treaties of Rome, ?/span>A common
Foreign and Security Policy in Europe is
therefore absolutely vital. But, of course, this policy should not be
isolationist but must be based on cooperation with partners outside Europe. I firmly believe that close, amicable relations
with the United States of America and a strong NATO are and will remain in
Europe's fundamental interest?(EU2007.de) In making such a statement, she has
attempted to repair the damage created by her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder
towards Washington.
She has developed good multilateral diplomacy, delicately balancing Germany’s relationship with countries like France and Russia,
as well as the U.S.
“Her maxim is as simple as it is effective: Serve your own interests by serving
those of others?(Joffe). Her foreign policy thus far has proved somewhat
compatable with that of the U.S—atleast in terms of Iran. She made this clear during
her recent appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, shortly after
Ahmadinejad addressed the issue of monitoring Iran’s nuclear development
through the IAEA.During her upcoming meeting with Bush in November, this topic
will likely be at the foremost of their discussions.
Merkel’s ability to help lead Europe into
a grand alliance is evident. In making a concertated effort to maintain stable
relations with both Russia
and the United States, in
addition to that of the new leadership in countries like France and Great
Britain, she has managed to balance Germany’s position within Europe.
As Pelanda mentions, in 2005 she “consolidated bi-lateral relations with the United States,
keeping them lukewarm in view of the anti-American sentiment of the electorate?
(123).
Nicolas Sarkozy, the recently elected French President, also stands a
chance at contributing largely to a grand alliance. His clearly pro-American approach will aide him in this endeavor, something far from
the views of his predecessor, Jacques Chirac. Such an attitude has already
proved effective in relations with President Bush, whom he met with over the
summer. Given his conservative stance on most issues, he seems to be on better
grounds with America
and its foreign policy than Chirac ever was.
Sarkozy, similar to that of Merkel and Brown, has clear views on Iran and the
goals of their nuclear program. His views, however, seem to be even more rigid
than his counterparts—he is openly pro-Israel, and though he refuses to “choose
between a nuclear armed Iran
and the use of force?(Sciolino), he has made his view towards Iran abundantly
clear. He is quoted as saying that he is not determining his position on Iran based on the U.S. position, though it appears to
be a position both countries share.
The biggest issue concerning Sarkozy and the potential of a grand alliance
is that of his elitist views. He has clearly stated his beliefs that both France and the United States are on ?/span>equal footing and somehow better than many others, because they
believe that their values are universal and therefore destined to ‘radiate?
throughout the world?(Sciolino). This attitude
stands to aide the French-American relations, however in calling out his
European counterparts, he is doing little to build
stronger relationships with them. His comments regarding France’s need to take the European
lead due to lack of other potential leaders must clearly have not set well with
the likes of Angela Merkel and Gordon Brown. His promise to never behave in an
arrogant way like that of Chirac towards the United States in the prelude to
the Iraq war seems already contradictory—perhaps he has yet to exert such
arrogance towards that the U.S, however he has clearly illustrated such towards
his fellow European leaders.
Despite his
obvious interest in America and his new found friendship with President Bush,
the likelihood of Sarkozy taking a similar approach
to current U.S. foreign policy is unlikely—rather, he may attempt to “emulate
America’s domestic dynamism?(Hoagland). This relationship, like that of
Merkel, is clearly contingent on a new U.S. administration in the next
year and a half. However, given his fascination with American domestic
policies, there is a likelihood that he too could help
Europe in forming a grand alliance with the United
States—if he is able to first form closer alliances at
home, in Europe.
Gordon Brown,
the newly elected Prime Minister of Great Britain, will perhaps be the most
watched leader in this potential alliance. Given Blair’s relationship with
Bush, one that was clearly not favored by the majority of Europe, much less his
own country, Brown’s position towards an alliance with the U.S. will be crucial. Though he has
only been in power a couple of months, he has made efforts to maintain the
strong relationship between the two states, though not on the same level of his
predecessor. He has showed little warmth towards Bush like that of Blair, while
discussing options for Britain’s
position in Iraq.
Brown has stated that he will follow the advice of his commanders in Iraq,
while continuing Blair’s “transition to over-watch?process. An obvious factor
that will affect this transatlantic relationship is the 2008 U.S election—the
newly elected President will have his or her hands full when dealing with the
situation in Iraq, and such
an alliance with Great
Britain has the ability to prove either helpful
or harmful, depending on a new President’s stance.
Brown is clearly
favored by most Britons over Blair, which will be key
in building a grand alliance between his country, the continent, and the United States.
In regards to Iran,
like his European colleagues, he too feels that toughening sanctions are
necessary. However, unlike that of Merkel and Sarkozy,
Brown has been less vocal on this issue, leading some to wonder if he may
follow others?lead in this foreign policy issue, like Blair so frequently did
with the United States.
Calling Britain’s relationship with the United States its “singular most
important bilateral relationship? Brown seems to perhaps be exactly what a
grand alliance needs in all its potential leaders—one who is keenly aware of
the importance these relations play, considering his predecessor’s role and
it’s effectiveness on such an alliance, and using both to help form a new
relationship with at least one key member of the alliance—the U.S.
There appears to
be a new kind of leadership within Europe—one
that knows the importance that such an alliance could play for both their
states as well as others involved. Additionally, these new European leaders
seem to have a different approach to the United States than that of their
predecessors. Merkel, Sarkozy, and Brown all seem to
be aware of the importance of such multilateral negotiations and discussions,
and have illustrated this most recently with their stances towards Iran.
With such powerful leadership within Europe, the formation of a grand alliance
is absolutely possible—in fact, depending on the change of leadership within
the United States,
one could almost venture to state that such an alliance is quite likely. As Pelanda points out, there would likely be clear economic benefits
for all parties, in addition to a buffer of sorts, against China and potentially Russia, should there be a need for
such.
The three
European leaders—Merkel, Sarkozy, and Brown, all have
their own agendas for their states. However, given their current positions on
foreign matters, and how far they’ve come from their predecessors, it appears
that a grand alliance is vital for each. In building such, it will be essential
for all three leaders to come together in efforts to work towards common goals
within Europe. Perhaps then they can focus on
the bigger challenge: that of convincing the new American leadership that such
an alliance would prove beneficial to the U.S, despite its years of unilateralism.
While it would undoubtedly be a huge task, both Europe and the United States
seem ready for such a shift—if anything, issues like Iraq, Iran, and the threat
of a Chinese superpower have clearly illustrated the necessity for some sort of
common ground between the two. If any European leaders seem posed and ready to
make such an alliance happen, it is absolutely Angela Merkel, followed closely
by Nicolas Sarkozy, and potentially Gordon Brown. All
three have the ability (and a general consensus within their own countries) to
initiate and maintain positive relations with the United States, in what could surely
lead to a grand alliance in years to come.
Works Cited
Germany 2007- Presidency of the European Union. 3 March 2007. <http://www.eu2007.de/en/News/Speeches_Interviews/March/0325BKBerliner.html>
Hoagland, Jim. ?span
class=SpellE>Sarkozy’s Dangerous Strengths.?Washington Post 7 May 2007: A19.
Joffe, Josef. “Call her Angie von
Bismarck.?Washington
Post 5 August 2007:
B04.
Pelanda, Carlo. The
Grand Alliance.
Milan: FrancoAngeli, 2007.
Sciolino, Elaine and Alison Smale. ?span class=SpellE>Sarkozy, a Frenchman in a Hurry, Maps
his Path.?New York Times 24 September 2007.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/world/europe/24sarkozy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1>.