German Marshall Fund Project Proposal

Speech Transcript

by Benjamin A. Fogel (edited by Simon F. Dietlmeier)

March 2022

Published on the Occasions of the UN General Assembly 2023; the Octoberfest 2023 in Munich; as well as the RSA x One Young World Networking Event on 20th September 2023. Originally submitted to the Call for Projects: Renewing the Transatlantic Relationship for the Future by the German Marhsall Fund.

"As a committed transatlanticst, I have spent much of the past few weeks discussing with my friends across the U.S. and Europe what Russia’s war means for our future. There is a unanimous and overwhelming feeling that this is a transformative moment in our lives and we must plan how we will work to build and maintain the world we want to live in. Amongst a group of close friends from North America and Europe, we have discussed how our generation can take the initiative to create that world. We believe to have found a way to lay the foundation.

As I was recently reminded by a German friend that this June marks 75 years since George Marshall announced his ambitious plan to rebuild post-war Europe in a speech at Harvard University. This June will also host the G7 Summit near Munich, when the former enemies of that war will gather to discuss this challenge. This provides the ideal opportunity to celebrate the anniversary of the Marshall Plan in a public side-event during the G7 summit, preferably at a university to commemorate the Marshall Speech. Together with said friends, we have formed a young transatlantic leaders group to advocate amongst the transatlantic community for this anniversary celebration to happen in Munich as part of the G7 agenda.

However, this anniversary celebration could also be accompanied by a call for action. On the side-lines of the summit in Munich, U.S., E.U., and U.K. leaders should renew the spirit of the Marshall Plan and offer support to build back Ukraine with united transatlantic resolve. In the months leading up to the summit three lines of programming should be carefully considered and deliberated developed. They should be announced as transatlantic leaders stand side-by-side in the halls of academic thought and recommit to a Free and Peaceful Europe, of which the history of Munich knows is all too fragile. Combined with Munich's tradition as the city that hosts the annual Munich Security Conference, it is the ideal location for the Marshall Plan anniversary.

First, the U.S. and E.U. must commit to a democratic plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which would be consistent with last year’s G7 adoption of the “Build Back Better World” (B3W) infrastructure plan, dedicated to driving global investments in developing economies and opposing expanding autocratic influence.

Second, they should adopt an “Eco” or “Green” plan that forms the basis of a transatlantic pact on oil, gas, coal, and renewable energy to assert independence from Russia.

And third and finally, they should offer to the Russian people the hope of economic relief and true integration with Europe, in a post-war scenario that prioritizes Ukrainian sovereignty and democratic principles.

I hope that I was able to demonstrate how the Marshall Plan anniversary and the G7 summit this year coincidentally provide the perfect occasion to strengthen the transatlantic partnership and combined have the power to symbol a new era of transatlantic relations."