Lord George Robertson, the former Secretary General of NATO, delivered the Atlantic Council’s fourth annual Christopher J. Makins Lecture. His speech, entitled “The Transatlantic Community: Time for Some Lateral Thinking,” outlined how to restore leadership within the transatlantic community.
Atlantic Council Chairman Senator Chuck Hagel introduced Lord Robertson, and Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, moderated the event. German Ambassador to the U.S. Klaus Scharioth offered welcoming remarks.
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Podcast (MP3):
Media Coverage:
- Afghan troop withdrawal signals NATO ‘crisis,’ says former alliance boss – Peter O’Neil, Canwest News Service
New Atlanticist Analysis:
- Lord Robertson: Time for Grown-up Argument on NATO Resources
- Lord Robertson: If We Lose in Afghanistan, They Will Be Back Over Here
- Lord Robertson: NATO on Edge of a Precipice
Lord George Robertson:
Rt. Hon. Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen is a member of the Council’s International Advisory Board. He served as the 10th Secretary General of NATO (1999 – 2004). As Secretary General, he led the Alliance’s response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including invoking for the first time in Alliance history the collective defense commitment in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, declaring an attack on one ally as an attack on all. Lord Robertson also secured support within the Alliance for NATO to assume leadership of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in 2003.
He led efforts to transform the Alliance by developing new military capabilities, expanding to include seven new members, and creating the NATO-Russia Council. Before taking up his NATO position, he served as Defence Secretary for the United Kingdom (1997 -1999) and was elected six times to the House of Commons. Lord Robertson currently serves as the Deputy Chairman of TNK-BP and is a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group.
Christopher J. Makins Lecture Series:
Launched in 2005, the Christopher J. Makins annual lecture series honors the memory of the Atlantic Council’s former president, Christopher Makins, by bringing together top European and American minds and policymakers to discuss major challenges facing the Atlantic Community. The series focuses on the state of the Atlantic partnership and its future direction. By providing a platform for discussion and discourse on the importance of the Atlantic alliance, we carry on the heritage and vision of this extraordinary Atlanticist. Previous transatlantic leaders in the series include Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Dr. Henry Kissinger.
If you would like to support the lecture series, please contact Ania Voloshin, Director of Outreach and Public Programs at (202) 778 4950 or at avoloshin@acus.org.
Previous Makins Lectures:
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