The US thought leader Anne-Marie Slaughter recommends that Europe not freeze in fear – but rather reflect on its own power.
A cold December afternoon on the outskirts of Berlin. Wind drives clouds of fog over Wannsee. Anne-Marie Slaughter has taken a seat in the library of the manor house on the river bank, built in 1886. Since September she has been a Holbrooke Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin, which resides here. Slaughter, 65, is a major thinker in American foreign policy. And a controversial feminist. From 2009 to 2011 she was chief of staff to then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The conversation with the star is said to be her only interview during the time in Germany be. Topic: the future of transatlantic relations. They face greater challenges than ever before.
Professor Slaughter, you have been here in Germany for several months. How do you experience the atmosphere?
The terrible situation in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, the uncertainty caused by the advance of artificial intelligence: these things shape the mood on both sides of the Atlantic. Many people have the feeling that we are losing control. But there is also something that I only notice here in Germany: a feeling of being exposed. The fact that Germany and Europe could be solely responsible for Ukraine, economically and militarily, after Donald Trump’s election victory in 2024 scares many here.
Promised in February Joe Biden in Warsaw: “America is back”. Did he wrongly raise hopes?
No. This is exactly the impression he wanted to convey. He had every reason to be optimistic. He had gotten his big economic stimulus program through. He was trying to tame inflation. There was this feeling: We’re getting things under control. The lesson of this year is: That was an illusion. Biden comes from an era in which world politics was much more predictable. He has worked in many ways to make things that way again. And it hit a nerve with many who long for these old conditions…
… especially in this country. Almost three quarters believe that Germany should not take on a military leadership role in Europe. How is this received in Washington?