Realignment of an old bond
Instead of reassessing our transatlantic values and interests, we need to bridge and forge a new type of partnership across the Atlantic, one more geared to the realities of an emerging multipolar world. In his inauguration speech Joe Biden marked the 20th of January 2021 with his words: “This is America’s day. This is our day!”
It announces a positive end to the devastating time on all fronts. The storming of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, was a violent attack by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump on Congress, the United States Parliament. Their goal was to prevent the formal certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election, won by Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden.We finally turn the corner we have been waiting for so long. At the transatlantic level, very positive developments will start to show a profound renewal and a new cycle, in which – with Biden’s words:
“We have much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain.”
Germany and the US both have a strong interest in forging their transatlantic partnership towards one that reflects the evolving reality of their roles in a world in pandemic times. If we trust our transatlantic bond, which has a historical record of our relationship over two and a half centuries, we will be surprised, what it has in store for us. In these troubling times, in which we have not seen such international concern since the World War II, now, more than ever, we need to reflect on the impact we have on each other. We need to trust our instincts and even more follow our desires. Together we will have new insights, forge ahead, have success and reach satisfaction; in short, our transatlantic connection will take a new direction.
First, our determination is to move forward and thrive. We are now able to evoke a major upheaval, a change of direction and the beginning of a new story. This new path represents personal advances and shift from personal to social identity. The potential which must be highlighted should open new doors and allow us to renew our view of the world. We are in a transition period during which things change. The difficulties and obstacles we are facing today, which make us doubt our chances of success, should soon fade, and give way to a fruitful period during which luck should be smiling on us again. This is also the time where people change their own life to bring it closer to their dreams, to connect with people and content who really matter and thereby get back to basics.
Transatlanticly speaking, getting back to the basics also means to benefit from all the future opportunities evoking from an existing alliance. Germany must act as a leading nation in Europe – and the EU must cooperate closely and in a spirit of trust with the USA. Only together will we secure freedom and prosperity. We need to put our transatlantic partnership on a strong, stable and long-term footing. Our promise aims to tackle the world’s most important challenges and helps to build a better tomorrow. Passion led us here and passion is contagious.
With our transatlantic network KIT Link we follow our mission to create a community, which champions cooperation and innovation through the exchange of knowledge and new ideas. In a time of challenges, it is important not to lose one’s stability and curiosity. Across sectors and continents we enable top-notch future-oriented research, entrepreneurship and therefore influence innovation.
Together, we share visions and empower their realization. Together we create a trustworthy environment. Together, we care about our planet and conscious sustainability. What’s needed other than the alliances of the best and most committed, is participation in the challenge to change the world.
In order to create a vivid transatlantic exchange of world changing ideas and entrepreneurial opportunities, we need a trustworthy environment. The challenge of the future is to set a framework for this trustful exchange. The global task is to fix things, before it’s too late. We all know that not technology is the pioneer, it is the people.
All transatlantic dialogues on transformation between Germany and the USA prove the importance of working together. We started in California with the technical spring board, the Valley with its recognized centre, where future technological ideas are being born and see if they can live. Coming from Baden-Württemberg with its high productivity, the German Southwest is central to the most innovative regions in the EU. Two different innovation hubs with an enormous density of bright minds uniting different focal points for fruitful exchange.
The profile of a German South-West as a high-quality tech hub will be elevated together with our partners in the Valley. We rely on our intelligent network, with focus on a defined quality of changing the world. From knowledge transfer to transformation through ‘mind-to-mind’ communication, a network of and for the future, which connects leading regions.
Passion is contagious. Especially when it’s rooted in purpose. Shared purpose is an exponentially powerful driver of passion. We humans are the key, we are the pioneers of future knowledge. As the pioneers of the knowledge of tomorrow we know we will shape our future with vision, imagination and creativity. It means having the courage to break new ground and try something new. It is about how we want to live in future, and how we intend to answer the questions our globalized world poses in terms of our societies and the way we do business. The pandemic challenges address an enormous disruption, what we seek in a faster changing world is advice, guidance and leadership.
“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” Chinese proverb
Going forward, the main challenge will lie in successfully managing the transition of the world – people, industries, and regions towards new opportunities that will open up in a changing world.
Giving the successful transition purpose and meaning, we are aware today, that the dynamics of change will be hard to predict. Looking at the outcome of this transition, we have to face failure and success. We need to reflect and define joint concepts together on climate, new energy, trusty digital policies. In all the areas mentioned and others, however, cooperation between all these innovation drivers is necessary in order to implement them in such a way that, with a long-term view to the future, the difficulties we face can be tackled and turned into great opportunities for a successful future. It’s about our transatlantic future.