US Secretary of State in the daily topics: “We must cooperate”

US Secretary of State Blinken is convinced: No country can cope with global problems on its own. in the daily topics-Interview he speaks about the China conflict, the Afghanistan withdrawal – and the zigzag of progress.

daily topics: Foreign Minister, you said that the United States had no better partner and friend in the world than Germany. Do you really mean that, or is the wish the father of the thought?

Antony blinking: I really think so. Our partnership is based on our common values, fundamental common interests and the close ties between our two countries – on an interpersonal level, on an economic level and among school and university students. But the similarities are also evident right now in the direction of our governments. We share the belief that the challenges we and our citizens face every day can best be addressed by exploring ways of working together.

Conversely, no country – neither the USA nor Germany – can cope with the pandemic, climate change and its consequences on its own. We have to cooperate – that is the common thrust of Germany and the USA, and it has been implemented at the level of action in the past ten or fourteen days: at the G7 meeting of President Biden and Chancellor Merkel, at the NATO summit and the continuation of the Working at the US-EU summit.

We work together on a very practical level, both directly in bilateral exchanges and in multilateral institutions, to move things forward for the benefit of our citizens and all people in the world.

daily topics: You have repeatedly stressed that America is back. President Biden said this several times at the G7 summit. But you can only dance tango in pairs – words alone will not restore the confidence of the US allies. Much of that has been wiped out in the past four years. Here people fear that it is not Trump but maybe Biden that is the exception and that we will see a populist US government again in four years’ time. That is why the Germans are a little hesitant at the moment.

Flash: To be honest, I don’t really notice such hesitation – if it may be anywhere -. Quite the opposite!

Let’s take a look at everything that has been achieved in a very short time: At the G7 summit, the USA, Germany and our other partners together pledged one billion corona vaccination doses. They are being distributed around the world, and there will be more of them. We have agreed and committed not to finance more coal-fired power plants anywhere in the world so that we can tackle climate change. We are involved in the campaign “Reconstruction for a better world” (“Build Back Better World”). We are investing in the infrastructure of the less developed countries. All of this is having an effect.

Here’s my bet: I believe – and what is more important, President Biden agrees, and Chancellor Merkel shares this as far as I know – that if we can prove together that democracies can deliver, that we can show that we really are can improve people’s living conditions; that the worries and needs of the people are taken up, then this approach is also supported by the people in the long term. That is our common challenge.

daily topics: I don’t think there is any disagreement on multilateralism, but there is, for example, on China. Your administration goes even further than the Trump administration’s point of view. You tried to get the G7 behind you, so that together we could crack down on China. Germany certainly sees that China is increasingly becoming a challenge, but we are trying to reduce confrontation. So there is definitely a gap.

Flash: It is important to note that we do not seek to stop China. We are not trying to limit his room for maneuver. We strive to uphold the international system of freedom and openness to which the United States and Germany have worked together for so many years. If someone shakes it – regardless of whether it is China or another country – then we stand up for this system and defend it.

Of course, there are always tactical differences between partner countries with regard to the approach. But in the past few weeks there has actually been a convergence. When the G7 met in 2018, China was not even mentioned in the final communiqué. When NATO formulated its strategy in 2010, China was not an issue. There is now growing awareness that China is a challenge. But we also recognize that our relationships, our relationship with China are complex.

daily topics: How does the relationship between Germany and the USA differ from one another?

Flash: I think we see this despite the differences: there are aspects where there is opposition; others in which we compete with China and other areas in which we cooperate with each other. It doesn’t matter, we’ll do better if we tackle China together. I find this is becoming clearer and clearer.

daily topics: The “America First” stance still partially persists, right? The US has withdrawn from Afghanistan without seriously consulting its NATO partners. There are still punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum. And China is another example. Therefore, my point again at the beginning of our conversation, a rather hesitant enthusiasm in Germany to go along with everything that the USA is doing.

Flash: I can speak about Afghanistan directly from personal experience: together with the American Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, I met with the NATO partners weeks before the American decision was made. We listened very carefully for three hours to what our partners and allies thought of this. And that was just that one session. I took very detailed notes that I shared with President Biden that night.

For several weeks I had various discussions with the partners and allies. We said: These are our ideas – what do you think about them? Well, I admit that our decision did not exactly coincide with how our partners wanted to proceed. But I honestly believe that we have consulted our partners seriously. And so it came to our decision. But in general terms, too, I really believe that we should coordinate with our partners in a serious manner.

Look, there is a big poll that has been carried out in most of our partner countries, that is, in the democratic countries, in the G7 and NATO countries and others. On average, 75 percent of respondents said they had confidence in America’s leadership role. It wasn’t that long ago that the number was only around 17 percent. So I hope that this reflects the fact that our allies recognize that we are again seriously committed to and for our partners, both bilaterally and in multilateral organizations.

daily topics: Its foreign policy is based on the conviction that the liberal democracies are in competition with authoritarian regimes. But perhaps the greatest dangers do not arise from the threat posed by illiberal foreign powers, but from extreme polarization, populism, misinformation and distrust within of our societies, especially in the US.

Flash: I agree with you, but if there is such a competition between democracies and autocracies – and we are assuming it – then we can only win it if we start on our own doorstep: by strengthening our democracies, make them resilient do. When we deliver results that bring real improvements for our citizens. We have to start there. And that is why it is so important that we invest for the benefit of our own people and in our infrastructure, in our technology. It’s not about slowing down the others, but about moving faster yourself. And that’s best to start at home.

daily topics: Now to my last question, on which the US and Germany are at odds: Nord Stream 2. The US has shown itself to be accommodating and has not imposed any further sanctions. What do you expect from Germany in return?

Flash: We are currently holding important and detailed discussions with our German colleagues. It is very important that we come to a result together – also with others – that ensures that Russia cannot use this pipeline to put other states under pressure; that the Russians cannot use this as a weapon against the Ukraine, other countries in Eastern Europe or even against Europe as a whole, because the pipeline unfortunately increases the dependence on Russian oil and gas. So we are looking at these things very specifically and I very much hope that we can reach an agreement in the coming weeks.

daily topics: Is it come to an agreement soon?

Flash: We do not have a set timetable, but we are working very closely together to find a solution and we want to come to a credible and concrete agreement together so that we can protect Europe and Ukraine from the negative effects of this pipeline; that we prevent excessive dependence on Russia.

daily topics: President Obama is quoted as saying that progress is not linear but zigzag. Where are we at the moment, in which direction are we going?

Flash: It zigzags – Obama was absolutely right. But from the personal experience of the last few months since I’ve been in office, I can say that most things don’t change just by flicking a switch, at least most of the time. In the vast majority of cases, it is the day-to-day work that counts. You roll up your sleeves and try to make progress.

And something else that brings us back to the beginning of our conversation: We can work all the more effectively on and for progress if we work together with our closest partners and allies, such as Germany. This is how we make history and move the world towards more justice and progress, to quote President Obama again. The basic attitude in the USA is shaped by the fact that we strive to become better. And it expresses the recognition of our country – even though we know that we are not perfect. The US is striving to get a little closer to this goal every day. That is the work that we do at home and the work that I do with Germany and with our other partners.

daily topics: Foreign Minister, thank you very much for talking to us.

The interview was conducted by Ingo Zamperoni.