NATO Secretary General Invites Chicago Council President Daalder to Participate in Group to Re-Examine Transatlantic Bond

Daalder Only American in Group of Policy Experts

March 24, 2014 – Ambassador Ivo H. Daalder, president of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, has been invited by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to participate in a policy experts group that will provide NATO with ideas on strengthening the Alliance’s transatlantic bond. Rasmussen announced the launch of an Alliance-wide public debate involving young leaders, lawmakers and policy experts on Wednesday, March 19.

“With a view to our NATO Summit in Wales, and considering the link across the Atlantic that NATO embodies, I have asked three groups — the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a group of experts and a group of young leaders — to consider how we can strengthen our transatlantic bond and strengthen our security today and tomorrow,” Rasmussen said.

“I am honored to be part of this important effort,” said Daalder, who served as the US Ambassador to NATO until July 2013. “With the events in Ukraine, the need for a strong and enduring transatlantic bond is now more evident than any time since the end of the Cold War.”

The group of policy experts will be led by Robin Niblett, who is the director of Chatham House, London. He will be joined by:

•     Martin Butora, Head of the Institute of Public Affairs, Bratislava
•     Ivo Daalder, President, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Chicago
•     Camille Grand, Director of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, Paris
•     Ana Palacio, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and member of the Consejo de Estado of Spain
•     Roland Paris, Director of the Centre for International Policy Studies, Ottawa
•     Volker Perthes, Director Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Berlin
•     Nathalie Tocci, Deputy Director, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome
•     Sinan Ulgen, Director of Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Istanbul
•     Marcin Zaborowski, Director of Polish Institute for International Affairs, Warsaw

The aim of the project is to draw on the perspectives and experiences of the three groups to provide the Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council with creative input on strengthening transatlantic relations. Rasmussen said the Alliance is also interested in hearing from the general public “about what the transatlantic relationship has meant to you and how we can preserve it and make it even stronger for future generations.”

The policy experts group is expected to submit its findings in early June at a conference in Brussels that will discuss the recommendations. The work of the conference will feed into the September NATO Summit, which will address The Future of NATO — making sure the Atlantic Alliance has the equipment and skills it needs to deal with challenges like terrorism, unstable states, piracy, missile and cyber attacks. It will also reaffirm the importance of the transatlantic bond.

Ambassador Daalder became president of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in July 2013. Prior to joining the Council, he served as the US Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for more than four years. For his service, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service by Secretary Chuck Hagel. Ambassador Daalder also served on the National Security Council staff as director for European Affairs from 1995-97. Follow him on Twitter @IvoHDaalder.

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The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922, is an independent, non-partisan organization committed to educating the public — and influencing the public discourse — on global issues of the day. Long known for its public opinion surveys of American views on foreign policy, The Chicago Council also brings together stakeholders to examine issues and offer recommendations in areas such as global agriculture, the global economy, global security, global immigration, global cities and global energy. Learn more at thechicagocouncil.org and follow @ChicagoCouncil for updates.

CONTACT: Samantha Skinner
312.821.7507 Direct | sskinner@thechicagocouncil.org

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