A Message from Germany - Atlantik

A Message from Germany M

ORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO, America and its allies liberated Germany. The United States helped Germany overcome its total moral and material collapse and rejoin the community of Western democracies.

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URING THE COLD WAR the shadow of totalitarianism descended upon East Germany and Eastern Europe. The United States stood firmly on Germany’s side. In 1989, American support enabled the peaceful unification of our divided country.

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HE PARTNERSHIP between Germany and the United States forms the backbone of modern

Marcus Ackermann Josef Ackermann Bettina Adenauer Patrick Adenauer Knud Ahlborn Christian Ahrenkiel Wolfgang Altenburg Steven Althaus Hans Apel Karl Hans Arnold Dietrich Austermann Wolfgang Baare-Schmidt Arnulf Baring Gabriele Baring Hargen M. Bartels Burkhard Bastuck Batuz Ingo Beckedorf Michael Beckel Ina Beckurts Tobias Beckurts Birgit Bender Klaus Uwe Benneter Roland Berger Matthias Berninger Dominic Graf von Bernstorff Nikolas Graf von Bernstorff Christoph Bertram Ole von Beust Kurt H. Biedenkopf Hermann Bierer Martin Biesel Clemens Binninger Eberhard Blum Manfred Bock Frank Böhnke Anton F. Börner Eckbert von Bohlen und Halbach Arno Bohn Inge Boldt Alexander Bonde Jochen Borchert Achim Brenske Michael Broer Elmar Brok Oliver Buck Wilfried von Bülow Hubert Burda Hendrik Buschhorn Annette Busse Nikolas Busse William P. Carey Ami de Chapeaurouge Volker Christians Jürgen H. Conzelmann Ernst Cramer Jean K. van Daalen Mehmet Gürcan Daimagüler Jutta von der Decken Jochen Degkwitz David W. Detjen Thomas M. Dewner Alexander Dibelius Thomas Diehl Kai Diekmann

Armin Dienst Jochen Dieselhorst Hartmut Dietrich Maximilian DietzschDoertenbach Cornelia Dömer Thomas Dörflinger Mathias Döpfner Klaus von Dohnanyi Andreas R. Dombret Juergen B. Donges Werner Dornisch Siegfried L. Drueker Thea Dückert Birgit Düppe Freimut Duve Christian Dyckerhoff Albrecht Ehlers Uschi Eid Horst Elfe Thomas Ellerbeck Klaus C. Engelen Maximilian van Erckelens Alexander Erdland Hubertus Erlen Jörg van Essen Johannes Evers Wolfgang Fahr Georg Fahrenschon Bernd Fahrholz Ilse Falk Dieter Feddersen Gerhard Fels Johann Finkelmeier Joachim Finn Leonhard H. Fischer Dieter Flämig Carl-Peter Forster Klaus Francke Kai Franzmeyer Michael Frenzel Hinrich Frese Walter Friederichs Hans H. Friedl Christoph Friedrich Hans-Peter Friedrich Stephan Friedrich Maria Fulde Georg Gafron Norbert Gansel Joachim Gauck Rainer Gebbe Elke Geising Klaus-Dieter Geisler Otto Gellert Stefan Georg Wolfgang Gerhardt Karl Gernandt Wolfgang Gibowski Hans-Michael Giesen Günther Gillessen Michael Glos Katrin Göring-Eckardt Reinhard Gorenflos Sven Gossel Dennis Grabherr Jürgen Graf Ursula Gresser Monika Griefahn

Germany. A democratic, united Germany within a unifying Europe at peace with itself and its neighbors embodies that partnership.

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N SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, as terrorists attacked New York and Washington, the German people and government stood side by side with the United States. Millions of Germans demonstrated their sense of outrage and offered their support. German soldiers helped defeat the Taliban and play a lead role in rebuilding Afghanistan. Germany is aware that international terrorism threatens not only the United States, but all countries for whom democracy and freedom of expression are founding principles.

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ODAY, as the world faces new challenges, from the ever present scourge of international terrorism to the spread of weapons of mass destruction, we reaffirm

Helmuth von Grolman Jürgen R. Großmann Christian Grün Manfred Grund Thomas Guth Karl-Theodor Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg Helga Haftendorn Carl H. Hahn Günther Hahn Holger-Heinrich Haibach Claus M. Halle Hubertus Haller Jürgen Hambrecht Winfried Hammacher Wolfgang Hantke Kaspar Freiherr von Harnier Klaus Harpprecht Ulrich Hartmann Erivan Karl Haub Wolfgang Hauser Margaret Heckel Jutta Heimberger Ursula Heinen Andrej Heinke Markus Maria Heiss Gunther Hellmann Jörg A. Henle Karl G. Herold Stephan Hess Moritz Landgraf von Hessen Claus Heuchemer Carl-Heinz Heuer Alistair Hill Klaus Hillebrand Steffen Hoffmann André von Holtzapfel Dieter von Holtzbrinck Stefan von Holtzbrinck Werner Holzer René Holzheimer Rolf Hüttel Felix Hufeld Gerd-Winand Imeyer

Anno August Jagdfeld Julia Jäkel Jost de Jager Peter Jahn Michael Jansen Georg Jarzembowski Siegfried Jaschinski Josef Joffe Barbara John Eckart John von Freyend Manuel Jork Harald Jung Detlef Junker Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven Yorck Kaempfer Jan F. Kärst Karl Kaiser David A. Kamenetzky Wolf D. Karl Wilhelm Dietrich Karmann Christoph von Katte Peter Kausch Peter-Hans Keilbach Trutz Graf Kerssenbrock Thomas Kielinger Walther L. Kiep jun. Walther Leisler Kiep Dietrich von Klaeden Eckart von Klaeden Kai-Jacob Klasen Franz J. Klein Torsten-Jörn Klein Hanns-Alexander Klemm Rainer Klemmt-Nissen Lippold von Klencke Max Dietrich Kley Claas Kleyboldt Hans-Ulrich Klose Walter Klosterfelde Lorenz R. Klutmann Harald Koban Roland Koch Robert J. Koehler Axel G. Koetz

the bond between the United States and Germany. The last five decades have brought Americans and Germans closer together. The stereotypes of the past have been replaced with common understanding and friendship. The German-American partnership is more than politics and business, important as they are. It reflects a community of values. The willingness to defend these values unites America and Germany.

Iraq must not be allowed to sever that bond. We, the members and friends of Atlantik-Brücke, the oldest German-American friendship organization representing many present and future leaders of Germany, will do our utmost to preserve that bond for future generations.

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HREE GENERATIONS of Americans and Germans have joined hands to ensure that our countries may live in peace, freedom, prosperity and security. For the overwhelming majority of Germans, the relationship with the United States remains of vital importance. Current differences of opinion between governments over the question of

Daniela Sauter Caspar Seemann Daniela Seemann Rafael Seligmann Björn Söder Jörn Söder Peter Sokolowsky Peter Sothmann Gottfried SpelsbergKorspeter Bernd-Georg Spies Friede Springer Rita Süssmuth Thorsten Schäckel Otto G. Schäfer Annette Schäfer-Harre Helmut Kohl Siegfried Luther Arend Oetker Fried Scharpenack Martin Kohlhaussen Friedrich Luft August Oetker Rudolf Scharping Günter Kohlmann Klaus Luft Christian Olearius Jürgen Schau Harald Kohlstock Stieven Maahs Torsten Oltmanns Walter Scheel Theo Koll Marcel Machill Alfred Freiherr von Bernhard Scheuble Hilmar Kopper Christoph H. Mäckler Oppenheim Christian Krause Knut Mager Hans-Günther Oppermann Florian Schilling Wulf von Schimmelmann Christian Krienke Tania Mainz Hans-Joachim Otto Ulrike Schlafly Michael Kröner Wolfgang Mainz Michael Otto Helmut Schlesinger Axel Krohne Andreas von Mallinckrodt Adil Oyan Dirk Schmalenbach Ernst-Moritz Krossa Frank Marczinek Herbert Palmberger Jörg Schmeding Raphael Kübler Ingrid Matthäus-Maier Karl-Heinz Paqué Nils Schmid Robert Kühn Bernhard May Hans Peter Peters Dieter L. Schmidt Eberhardt Kühne Miles McKelvie Ulrich Petzold Ronaldo Schmitz Ludger Kühnhardt Udo van Meeteren Philipp-Hubertus Pieper Arne Schönbohm Walter Kuna Gerhard Meir Hans-Gert Poettering Jörg Schönbohm Dietrich von Kyaw Nicolas von Mende Andreas Pohlmann Kajo Schommer Sonja Lahnstein-Kandel Friedrich Menzel Uwe Polakowski Jürgen E. Schrempp Nikolaus Graf Lambsdorff Friedrich Merz Philipp Poss Benedikt Freiherr Otto Graf Lambsdorff Jörg Meyer Detlef W. Prinz von Schröder Karl Lamers Georg Milbradt Cornelius Prittwitz Horst Schröder Monica Lamers Jürgen Mlynek Herta Putzmann Nikolaus W. Schües Rudolf Lang Wayne Moore Joachim Putzmann Christian Lange Margarete Mühl-Jäckel Cornelia Quennet-Thielen Ulrich Schürenkrämer Klaus-Dieter Schürmann Marc Christian Wolfgang Mülkens Lutz R. Raettig Philipp Schuller Langenbrinck Hildegard Müller Andreas Raffel Volkmar Schultz Andreas Langenscheidt Klaus-Peter Müller Katherina Reiche Dankwart von Florian Langenscheidt Meike Müller Christian Rodatus Schultzendorff Wolfgang Lehr Dirk Naumann Matthias Rößler Franz-Joseph Schulze Martina Leitermann Eckhard Naumann Thomas Rogge Wolfgang Schuster Richard Leitermann Klaus Naumann Michael Rogowski Gesine Schwan Marc Lemcke Uwe Nerlich Eckhard Rohkamm Rudolf F. Schwarz Manfred Lennings Jens Neumann Hergard Rohwedder Ulrike Schwarz Dirk Lentfer Tung Nguyen-Khac Stephan Rojahn Wolfgang Schwarz Michael Lepach Andreas Nick Sieghardt Rometsch Christian SchwarzKlaus Liedtke Claudia Nickolaus Jana Rosenmann Schilling Beate Lindemann Dietmar Nietan Christopher Rossbach Nikolaus Schweickart Diedrich Lindemann Michael C. Nippa Signe Rossbach Gebhard L. Schweigler Jutta Lindemann Jan-Peter Nissen Claudia Roth Hans-Jürgen Schwepcke Klaus Lindemann Elisabeth Noelle Rolf Rüssmeier Alexander Graf Sabine Lindemann-Jenkins Günter Nooke Eckhard Sachse von Schwerin Peter Linzbach Jürgen Nowicki Roland Salchow Klaus Peter Löbbe Peter Oakley Alexander von Samson Uwe Loos Jens Odewald Stephan G. Sassenroth Anna Lührmann Hans-Henning von Günther Sassmannshausen Henneke Lütgerath Oertzen Jochen Sauerborn

Erich Staake Immo Stabreit Kurt Steves Kurt von Storch Ekkehard Storck Dietrich Stoyan Christian Striefler Rolf-Rüdiger Stroth Jürgen Strube Andrea Stürmer Reinhard Stuth Alfred Tacke Tobias Tafel Hans-Peter Tandecki Peter-Georg Tessner Johannes von Thadden Friedrich Thelen Carl-Ludwig Thiele Bernd Thiemann Alexandra Traber Wolfgang Traber Herbert Trebesch Volker Tschapke Tatiana Turck Georg Unland Klaus-Günter Vennemann Hans-Jörg Vetter Kurt F. Viermetz Wedigo de Vivanco Bernhard Vogel Matthias Vogler Karsten D. Voigt Ludger Volmer Renate Voss Bernhard Wabnitz Peter-Alexander Wacker Ruth Wagner Hermann Waldemer Georg Graf Waldersee Petra Wallmann Norbert Walter Christoph Walther Max M. Warburg Jürgen Warnke Ludolf von Wartenberg Jürgen Weber Uwe H. Wehrstedt Hans Heinrich Weise Heinrich Weiss Hellmuth Weisser Ulrich Weisser Ernst Welteke Bernd-Artin Wessels

Guido Westerwelle Annette Widmann-Mauz Oliver Georg Wieck Norbert Wieczorek Alfred Wieduwilt Klaus Wiesmann Matthias Wissmann Thomas Wittleder Michael Wolffsohn Dieter Wolfram Klaus Wowereit Bernd Wrede Christian Wriedt Loretta Würtenberger Reinhold Würth Rainer Wunderlin Karsten Zimmermann Rolf Zimmermann Klaus Zumwinkel