Foreign Minister Tuomioja: A genuine partnership for the US and Europe

US-European cooperation in the field of crisis management is unhampered by partial differences in approach, said Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja in his address to the FinnFest festival(Link to another website.) in Philadelphia, early Friday Finnish time. Cooperation has been good and efficient, he said. Tuomioja pointed to the example of US-European joint efforts in the Middle East, Macedonia and the Western Balkans.

Tuomioja said that the US is perceived as being more willing than some to use military force. The European Union relies more on comprehensive political and economic strategies. He said that Europeans have learned the hard way that even where the use of military force is justified and necessary, it is not able by itself to bring about lasting solutions to complex crises. Political, social and economic efforts are also needed.

The Foreign Minister said that there are certain differences in the way small and large countries conduct themselves in peace-keeping operations. The professional armies of big countries tend to keep inside their fortifications and armoured vehicles and avoid dialogue with the local population.

But small countries, said Tuomioja, often behave otherwise. For instance, Finnish peace-keepers, most of whom are reservists, engage in bridge-building with the local population – sometimes literally. They do this wherever possible, without compromising their military competence and preparedness. They use their civilian talents and experience, whether as a carpenter, nurse or basketball coach, said Tuomioja referring to Finnish peace-keeping experiences in Bosnia. If Finnish peace-keepers are called social workers, it is not derogative but a real compliment, he said.

The European Union is working to make civilian crisis management on a par with with military crisis management. Tuomioja said that civilian crisis management is not an alternative to military crisis management but complementary to it. Civilian crisis management efforts employed in the right place at the right time can make military intervention unnecessary.

Beyond unilateralism

Tuomioja also drew attention to the threat of unilateralism in world politics. As the only remaining superpower the United States strives to lead the world narrowly from its own national interests.

He stressed that one of the most far-reaching consequences of globalisation is that it calls into question old notions of national interest. Before, it was possible to believe in national interests that could be pursued at the expense of other nations, even through the use of military power.

Today’s world is characterized by growing independence and real time global communications, said Tuomioja. The world is a global community that shares opportunities and challenges alike - be they opportunities like open access to markets or as challenges like HIV/AIDS and climate change.

Nowadays welfare cannot grow sustainably in one country at the expense of others, said Tuomioja. Smaller countries have been quicker to recognize this than larger ones. Size alone does not bring benefits to citizens of larger countries. Both big and small countries can enjoy the benefits of globalization only through cooperation and genuine partnership.

Tuomioja said that isolationism is seen a leading to a dead-end. In the same way it should be admitted that unilateralism is neither justified nor sustainable. The United States and Europe must together build a genuine global partnership.



















European-US relations in the 21st century

Opening words at Finnfest in Philadelphia

EU
crisis management