Events

17:30 - 19:30, GMF, Washington DC

By Dr. Esther Brimmer Professor at George Washington University, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

The German Marshall Fund, in collaboration with OCP Policy Center, will host a roundtable on March 10^th 2015 in Washington DC about “Atlantic Currents: A Conversation on 21st Century Atlanticism” featuring Dr. Esther Brimmer.

Since the end of WWII, the transatlantic relationship has been the most important partnership for both Europe and the United States. It has served as a foundation for security, economic prosperity, good governance, and has been a major generator of global public goods. But, as global power becomes more diffuse, the promise and challenges of transatlantic ties are evolving. Among a number of countries in the South Atlantic, expanding economies, populations, energy capacity, and diplomatic projection underscore new geo-political and geo-economic dynamics.

Emerging powers are players in a complex and growing network of new multilateral architecture and regional organizations, as frustration mounts at lagging reform of traditional organizations.  Contrary to some conventional wisdom, over the long term the most dynamic new South Atlantic powers may be in Africa, not Latin America. Indeed, many analysts predict continued robust growth for many African countries as growth stagnates in key European and South American countries. Extra-regional players have substantial and growing influence in the Atlantic basin; China, for instance, has displaced the United States as Brazil’s primary trading partner, and its large credits to Venezuela have had a significant impact on the political trajectory there.

In short, the Atlantic is a more diverse, dynamic, and competitive arena than ever. Yet, the four continents of the Atlantic have a shared 500-year history whose legacy includes many demographic, cultural, and normative affinities. Though often also fraught with tensions, these linkages, built over centuries of interaction in a shared space, provide resilient foundations for greater cooperation in the 21st Century. Such an environment should summon traditional transatlantic partners, and emerging players alike, to re-evaluate traditional relations and interests, and explore practical new opportunities to serve the shared needs of their societies.

In the inaugural edition of Atlantic Currents, Dr. Esther Brimmer addresses this challenge and places it in historical and contemporary geopolitical context. Published at the end of 2014, Atlantic Currents is an annual report on wider Atlantic perspectives and patterns, jointly produced by The German Marshall Fund and the OCP Policy Center. Dr. Brimmer will discuss her chapter as well as the broader ramifications of more diffused power in the global and Atlantic systems. She will be joined by noted experts from each Atlantic continent who will offer their perspectives and engage in debate.