HANOVER — The German ambassador to the United States took a restrained view of the tensions between America and Europe in a forum at Dartmouth College this week but said some issues are structural and not just related to friction over policies from the Trump administration.
Ambassador Emily Haber — speaking to about 150 people Thursday at an event sponsored by Dartmouth’s Dickey Center for International Understanding — emphasized that Germany views the United States as its most important ally outside of Europe.
“It is true that there is a pervasive sense both in the United States and in Europe that the bilateral relationship is under stress. There are quite a number of issues on which we disagree. But many of these disagreements are actually not new,” she said.
She went on to argue that the major disagreements between the two nations are not personal but structural. Haber mentioned that there are capable diplomats on both sides who pursue cooperation.
Many in Western Europe are irritated with Trump’s coziness with Russian Prime minister Vladimir Putin and his repeated attacks on NATO member countries.
One audience member asked about a 2019 Pew Research poll that found that while roughly 70% of Americans view U.S.-German relations positively, about 70% of Germans view that same relationship negatively. Haber noted that although the poll was troubling, the trends appear reversible and are unlikely to affect joint policy efforts between the two countries.
As evidence of the U.S.-German shared perspective on the world order, Haber, who is noted in German circles as a Russia expert, said, “If you want to compare Russia and China … you would call China ‘climate change’ and Russia ‘a tempest.’ ”
Haber’s stance on China’s rise echoed popular American rhetoric.
“China is a competitor in all areas as far as Germany is concerned.” She said she worries that “in the next 10 years, the world’s largest economy may not be a democracy.”
Haber has served as a top official in the German Interior Ministry as well as the German Foreign Ministry. The conversation reflected her breadth of experience, with questions on topics ranging from Iran to the global rise of nationalism.
One audience member asked Haber whether she felt the institution of democracy was in danger.
“We can take nothing for granted,” she said.
On President Donald Trump’s recent strike on Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani she began, “First, I would say the man was a terrorist and it was well-known that he had declared war on America. The (Trump) administration has made the point that it has acted in terms of self-defense, and self-defense is in conformity with the requirements of international law.”
She added that while she believes Iran has been escalatory in its recent pursuit of uranium enrichment, she regretted that the U.S. had left the nuclear agreement with Iran.
“We are not going to join the maximum-pressure strategy,” she said of Germany.
The event was moderated by Dickey Center Director Daniel Benjamin, a former counterterrorism expert in the Obama administration. The main message of the evening was of unity.
“We think of America as an Anglo-Saxon nation, but we also have very deep ties to Germany. Ambassador, you’re sitting in a town named for a German city,” Benjamin said.
Dartmouth Government Professor William Wohlforth said Haber impressed him.
“I think the German ambassador’s job is a tough one right now, but Dr. Haber made it look easy, with super-smart, thoughtful answers to tough questions … many of which centered on President Trump,” Wohlforth said by email later in the evening.
Rohan Chakravarty can be reached at rchakravarty@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.