I spent 32 years in the Royal Air Force – spending some time as a nuclear bomber pilot - and for three quarters of that period, the threat was clear, strategy was agreed, NATO and the transatlantic relationship were central. The end of the Cold War should have been a time when we could harness all our expertise, wealth and values to make the world a better and safer place. We have had one great success in the enlargement of the European Union, but have been much less successful in the wider world.
We are now moving into much more uncertain and potentially dangerous times in terms of global security. The number one threat of climate change has effects which will increase the risks of conflict. Nuclear weapons which declined in number and relevance in the 90s, are again central to strategic thinking. And we have the growing phenomenon of international extremist terrorism.
Such challenges to the world should have been an opportunity for a reinvigorated transatlantic relationship. Just as the international institutions needed both US and European sustained enthusiasm after World War 2, we need a parallel approach to the new global security challenges. Unfortunately, strategies on either side of the Atlantic for peace, security and conflict prevention have been diverging in recent years.
We move too slowly and in different ways to address global warming. Arms Control has fallen to the bottom of national political agendas. The United Nations, NATO and the EU are all in difficulty. Israel-Palestine remains a source of anger in the wider Islamic world. The intervention in Iraq deepened divisions both between nations and within nations. It also diverted attention from the reconstruction of Afghanistan, which is now much more challenging. It has complicated our response to the threat of nuclear proliferation which Iran and others pose. And we have done all too little in Africa.
I have no doubt that the US and Europe need to work together to have any chance of reversing these adverse trends. Britain should have a positive role to play in developing such policies, but as the cartoon on our invitation indicates, our reputation as an honest broker between the US and the rest of Europe is now deeply damaged. Politicians in western democracies seem to be tied ever more to narrow national considerations. To counter this nationalisation of security policy, they must talk more to each other across nation boundaries and seek new strategies – not just look for the best deal for themselves at the expense of everyone else.
BASIC has an important part to play in this.I have worked with BASIC over the years that I have been a defence academic since my retirement from the military ten years ago, and admire the quality of their output. It is surprising how few think tanks have been able to establish a balanced presence in both the UK and the US.
I now chair the all-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-Proliferation where we bring UK politicians together with those from both sides of the Atlantic who are working these issues. BASIC provides important support in this work.
The goal of the Transatlantic Security Program is to provide timely analysis and creative alternatives for governments to pursue, especially to reduce the risk of conflict, instead of merely responding to conflict. It seeks to do this through educating policy makers, NGOs, officials, journalists, and parliamentarians on the changing security environment. I have seen BASIC at work both in London and in Washington, and taken part in many BASIC projects over the years.
The work is a vital contribution to seeking ways to improve global security. The common values of the US and Europe are often quoted, but they are under great strain. Respect for Human Rights and the rule of law must be central to our policies if we are to help the poor, the sick and the threatened people of the world. BASIC will I know remain an independent and objective voice which promotes those eternal values, and increases understanding between the United States and Britain in these dangerous times.