Bradtke: Europe wants to help in Iraq

Current relations between Europe and the United States have shifted focus from securing… Current relations between Europe and the United States have shifted focus from securing Europe, to establishing security and cooperation of nations elsewhere, according to State Department official Robert Bradkte.

Bradkte, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, spoke about modern diplomacy between Europe and the United States in a Monday afternoon lecture at Posvar Hall. Bradtke, who went to high school in Pittsburgh, left the city in 1967 to pursue a career in foreign service.

The United States and Europe work together to deal with problems like the Sudan tragedy, the tsunami and the peace process between Israel and Palestine, Bradtke said during the lecture, which was sponsored by the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

“We are in a transformational period, where we have the opportunity to change the world,” Bradtke said. “Not overnight by imposing our ideas on other countries, but by trying to help support forces of a democracy.”

Bradtke spoke about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent trip to Europe, during which Rice encouraged European countries to look beyond previous disagreements about Iraq and toward the changes and developments that could now occur in the Middle East.

According to Bradtke, all the European countries to which Rice spoke agreed about the importance of training Iraqi security, and although some countries refuse to send their own troops, all want to help in some way.

“I think she found a very receptive audience,” said Bradtke, who later added that Rice found willingness in other countries to move on and work together.

Bradtke also said the United States does not want to impose its ideas on others, but wants to help certain countries, and people within those countries, that want reform. He cited recent elections in Iraq and Afghanistan as examples of good opportunities to move forward, provided that America can help to provide stability and democracy in the Middle East

“It’s a breeding ground for terrorism,” Bradtke said, “but we can’t ignore that, can’t just say to ourselves, ‘It’s too complicated. It’s too difficult.'”

Bradtke said he believes that President George W. Bush has decided that spreading democracy will ensure stability for America in the long run, but he acknowledged that it is a difficult process.

“There is no simple formula where you turn a crank and out comes democracy,” Bradtke said. “It is going to have to be a case-by-case basis.”

He said the two best examples of how countries can work together to support democracy are found in Europe, not in the Middle East.

According to Bradtke, many international reports considered the recent elections in Georgia and the Ukraine to be fraudulent. The United States worked with its European partners and with Russia to help ensure fair elections.

“People took to the streets in those countries,” Bradtke said. “[People in Ukraine] occupied the main square in the capital of Kiev, and they wouldn’t leave because they wanted a free and fair election, and we tried to support them.”

But Bradtke acknowledged that there is a debate about whether the growth of the European Union could act as a counterweight to the United States, particularly after the events in Iraq.

America has always supported the growth of the European Union, Bradtke said, especially after World War II, to help keep the countries from fighting. He said that despite the natural disagreements that could occur, he believes European expansion is in America’s best interestin the long run.

Bradtke spoke to an audience of undergraduate and GSPIA students and faculty, encouraging everyone to pursue careers in public service, saying that his job gives him opportunities to do many interesting things.

“As I look back at the 32 years that I have been at the State Department, I have been fortunate to be able to participate in some things that you couldn’t even have imagined back in 1967,” Bradtke said.