Le secrétaire général de l’OTAN prononce un discours à Springfield, dans l’Illinois (État-Unis)

Speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Springfield, Illinois – 21 September 2012

Mr Mayor – thank you very much indeed for being here with us tonight. Ruth [Slottag] and David [Vaught] – please accept my thanks for pulling tonight’s event together. And I know that Kim Rosendahl and Jeff Berg and others have also done a tremendous job.

Alma [Candelaria] – thanks for making the trip from Washington and for the great work the Department of State is doing to introduce the world to the United States.

And a special thanks to Susan [Cabiati] - the person who, just a few years ago, played an important role in my first visit to this country.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is great to be in the Land of Lincoln. I am especially happy to be back in Springfield, a city made the capital of Illinois by the efforts of Abraham Lincoln himself.

Mayor Houston, many thanks indeed for your warm opening remarks. You have the privilege of being mayor of a truly wonderful city. I have explored your beautiful neighbourhoods on many walks and runs, and I always enjoy the view of Lake Springfield. So I am really pleased to be back here.

Earlier this year, all my colleagues back at NATO Headquarters in Brussels were also able to get a taste of the great state of Illinois – quite literally. It was when a big delegation led by Governor Quinn brought many delicious local foods for NATO staff to sample, including gourmet pizza, cheesecake, and root beer. As you know it’s not beer at all… After I told President Obama how much I had enjoyed the root beer, he organised a surprise offering of root beer float, which was just as delicious! .

This happened at the NATO summit in May, which as you know took place up the road in Chicago. I know that it caused a few traffic problems. That was hard to avoid, as the summit was the biggest in NATO history. But the welcome we all received was truly remarkable. So to all the people of Illinois, I want to say a big “thank you”.

I would also like to say a special “thank you” and congratulations to the Springfield Commission on International Visitors. Thank you also to the National Council on International Visitors.

As it has already been mentioned thirty years ago, I travelled to the United States as a guest of the International Visitor Leadership Program. And as already recognised one of the organisers of that memorable trip is here in the audience today. Susan, you put together the most amazing programme for me. It strengthened my admiration for this great country, and the American people. So Susan, after all these years, it’s a real pleasure to see you again. Thanks a lot for coming tonight.

And let me pay tribute to the organisers of the International Visitor Programs. You do a tremendous job in putting together the most interesting, instructive and rewarding programs.

Visitors from all over the world have come to the United States. They have learned about American society. They have met Americans from all walks of life. And they have established warm friendships with families across this great country.

Many visitors have later become leaders in their own countries. Leaders in politics, business or in other fields. They carry with them a deeper knowledge of American history, culture and way of life, and some wonderful memories from their visit to the United States.

You can’t overestimate the importance of that investment in a deeper intercultural understanding.

I know that many volunteers spend a lot of time in organising the local programmes for international visitors. And I commend the members of the Springfield Commission on International Visitors for all you do to make these visits so enormously rewarding.

Just this year, Springfield has hosted delegations from Europe, Japan and the emerging democracy in Egypt. And I can think of no better place for future international leaders to learn about American society. Springfield represents the best of America: Strong communities, solid values, and opportunities for a healthy and rewarding lifestyle, both professionally and personally.

As I’m here as Secretary General of NATO, please allow me to use this occasion to express my deep gratitude to everyone in the American armed forces. In particular, here in Illinois, I would like to pay tribute today to the members of the Illinois National Guard. The brave men and women of the United States’ military serve their country with honour and distinction. Many have served, or are currently serving, in NATO operations. They have made a tremendous sacrifice not only for your security, but for security in Europe too. And they are not alone. Many thousands of service personnel from other NATO countries have fought with them, shoulder-to-shoulder, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and over Libya.

In particular, I would like to pay homage to the memory of one Illinois soldier, Sergeant Andrew Tobin. Sergeant Tobin was laid to rest in September of last year in Jacksonville. His mother has started a not-for-profit organization, called “Member of Service Moms”, that seeks to honour his legacy and the legacy of soldiers like him. I extend to her my deepest condolences on her loss. I commend her selfless efforts. And I wish her the very best.

It is often said that Illinois is a true microcosm of America. From the majesty of Monks Mound to the fertile central prairies, and from the great river valleys of Little Egypt to the jazz clubs of Chicago, this state embodies much of what America does best.

And like America, Illinois has attracted immigrants from all over the world - including my own son, Henrik. He has put down roots here in Springfield with his American wife, Kristina. Their two children are citizens of Illinois. And since I am their grandfather, I am proud to say that I consider myself one too - although I may not sound like one.

I tell you this because sometimes, when we talk about the ‘bond’ between North America and Europe, we speak in abstract terms that seem far from reality. But the transatlantic bond is not abstract at all. It is real. And personal.

It is founded on relationships and values cherished by both our continents. And it is based not on shared threats, but on shared history, shared ideals, and shared interests. Initiatives such as the International Visitor Leadership Program play a vitally important part in emphasising what we have in common, and in keeping our two continents closely connected.

I grew up in Jutland, on Denmark’s mainland. My father was a farmer, like many of my ancestors. He lived through the terrible days of the Second World War, and this experience made him ardently pro-American. He continues to believe in the special bond between Europe and the United States. Without it, freedom and lasting peace are simply not possible.

It should be no surprise that I share his views. And these views were reinforced when I travelled to the United States in 1982 as a guest of the National Council of International Visitors. It was the first time that I had ever visited this country. The travel programme was an exploration of American geography, culture, and political ideas. Among many activities, I discussed economic theory and politics, in particular the so called Reaganomics, with professor Robert Lucas in Chicago. Professor Lucas went on to win the Nobel Prize for Economics. This goes to show the exceptional people that I was able to meet on my visit – again, thanks to Susan.

I also visited Danish-American communities in Wisconsin. I looked out over the Grand Canyon. I even talked about Hollywood with Leonard Katzman, the late executive producer of the TV show, ‘Dallas’.

I’m still wondering who shot JR.

I participated in political meetings. I spoke with citizens and politicians. I shook so many hands that I almost believed that I was running for office myself. I even had time to attend a rodeo. For the occasion, I bought a real ten-gallon hat. And I found Americans to be very much like the people in my native Jutland: kind, hospitable, and sometimes sceptical of government.

As you can imagine, I had a great time. I learned a great deal. And I ended the trip more convinced than ever that the United States and Europe share a unique bond that must be preserved and strengthened. Since then, my roles have changed – from parliamentarian, to Prime Minister, and now NATO Secretary General. And throughout, my belief in the transatlantic bond only grew stronger.

When my son and two daughters were children, I took them to the sites of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Where American, British, Canadian, Free French and other allied forces began the western rollback of the Nazi regime. Those beautiful beaches remain a memorial to the idea that, together, we can overcome any threat, no matter how great.

The generation that fought the war is nearly gone. Their memories of that terrible conflict, and their determination to avoid another like it, were the pillars on which NATO was built and kept strong for over 60 years. As long as these memories are alive, I know that the Alliance’s role will remain unquestioned.

My generation remembers their stories, and the lessons they taught us. But we must ensure that future generations too will know why NATO was founded, and how truly important its role still is. In an age when we face so many unpredictable and complex threats, we cannot allow what Lincoln called the ‘silent artillery of time’ to undermine the most successful Alliance in history.

When I visit my friends in Washington, I sometimes hear sceptical voices questioning NATO’s value. But we must resist the temptation to measure NATO’s value in terms of dollars or Euros. Because our security is priceless. The defence of freedom can never come for free; and it is crucial that democracies in Europe and North America stand together in the defence of our common values – individual liberty, democracy and the rule of law.

Only by acting together, can we preserve the freedom and the prosperity that we have enjoyed for more than 60 years for our children and grandchildren.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I began by paying homage to the memory of a young soldier laid to rest here in Illinois, Sergeant Andrew Tobin. So it is only fitting that I end by paying similar homage to another soldier, a young man from Denmark named Jacob Olsen.

He died a week after Sergeant Tobin. Also in Afghanistan. He had been in the Danish army for just over a year. And he had been in Afghanistan for just over a month. Like Sergeant Tobin, he left behind a mother – a mother who wanted to ensure that something good came from his sacrifice. She wrote a poem to mark the anniversary of his death. Let me read you the first two lines.

“You fought to your end,
And you fought for us all.”

I can think of no better way to describe what Andrew Tobin, Jacob Olsen, and so many others have done. They gave everything they could for us - to preserve our freedom and our way of life.

Just like the soldiers who stormed the Normandy beaches on D-Day. Like the sentries who protected the check-points in Berlin against Warsaw Pact aggression. Like the pilots who stopped mass murder in the Balkans, and who protected civilians from a vicious dictator in Libya.

The bond between Europe and the United States was forged by conflict. It was consecrated by the sacrifice of fallen soldiers. And it was strengthened by our solidarity in wars - both cold and hot. Today, it is our service men and women who embody and reaffirm this bond every day, around the world.

It falls to us to preserve this bond for tomorrow. Because although it was built in the past, it holds a promise for the future. It is the same promise that brought immigrants from around the world to Illinois – to till its fields, to run its factories, to play music in its jazz clubs, and to reap the bountiful harvest of prosperity and peace.

It is the promise that all our peoples shall enjoy freedom, democracy, and security for generations to come.

Thank you.