TransAtlantic Network 2020
virtual nations could be the key to real-world issues
2008-08-04
By Jeff Johnson
Even a week after the fact, there is still a feverish debate about the usefulness and success of Barack Obama’s European tour. While the pundits continue to debate whether this trip was premature for the presumptive democratic nominee, a more important issue seems to have gotten lost in the rhetoric and fanfare of Obama’s events. That issue is whether the decades old, and often invisible, Trans-Atlantic relationship is still relevant; and if so how does that alliance happen in a world that has post-romanticism regarding NATO?
Obama himself stated, "In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future.” The question of should or how we change this perception and of more importance how do we collectively deal with issues of climate control, global trade, terrorism, and religious conflict was what I hoped would be a larger issue as Obama came back to the states. However, alas, the media had to cover McCain outside a German restaurant in Columbus, Ohio and argue over whether Obama’s speech was too presidential, forcing us to answer the question without the assistance of America’s mass media.
As a Black man living in America, born in Great Britain, and having traveled all over Europe, I believe that the potential of this post World War II relationship remains great if continually infused with progressive vision from both sides of the Atlantic. Even as I listened to Obama speak I got the sense that we (the citizens of NATO nations and “the world”) were being asked to support the alliance of government for the purpose of trade arrangements and fighting terrorism, but not to truly create ideological alliances between the citizens within said nations. The strength of the Trans-Atlantic alliance has always stretched beyond the paper that the treaties were written on to the people of alliance nations with similar desires.
Ironically, despite McCain and Obama’s ideological drive-by, a group of “young leaders” organized by the British Council - the UK’s international cultural relations organization - convened in March, blocks from where Senator Obama was able to draw over 200,000 Germans, working several days attempting to ponder and provide vision towards those very questions. I was excited to be a part of this group.
The Transatlantic Network (TN2020) aims to connect rising young people across many sectors who are expected to be in the vanguard of leadership in 2020. This gathering, humble in composition, but more pragmatic in its ambition, assembled 32 citizens from 15 countries for the purpose of developing a long-term program designed to provide opportunities for exploration, personal growth and, ultimately, broader problem-solving. While in Berlin, the group explored the challenges and strain of the existing Trans-Atlantic relationship, and questioned the need to work together for its continued health intellectually or through programmatic efforts. Moreover, TN2020 was honest enough to face the global reality of Asia and Africa and the need to eventually extend the network beyond North America and Europe.
The post World War II model of an alliance between North America and Europe is antiquated and in need of repair. With all due respect to both Senators Obama and McCain, no candidate or presidential tour for that matter, will provide relevance and sustainability. It is through the efforts of “regular” citizens that this relationship will be built and grow.
The real strength and energy of a new millennium Trans-Atlantic network will intrinsically connect to what makes many politicians most nervous: virtual nation building. As the world becomes smaller and people become more affected by the corporate and personal decisions of citizens in different parts of the world, it will bind regular people together in a way that nationalism cannot force. The Trans-Atlantic alliance will truly affect climate change, genocide, the conflict between religion and ideas, and other pressing social and political issues by creating virtual nations of citizens who become members not based on their passport, but their dedication to fighting for the manifestation of social responsibility that reflects the adoption of policy. Members of various countries will proclaim, "I am a member of the clean air nation, the globally beneficial trade nation, or the anti-war nation." How can we see a successful alliance that claims to be founded in the end of imperialism that actually supports it?
While I am in Ireland this fall participating in the TN2020’s conference, I am looking to interview the President of Ireland. Why? Because one of the president’s major platforms is that of African immigrants. In addition, we in America must understand and realize how many Diasporas of people are in Europe and the similarities and experiences we share. If we begin to connect around these social and political issues, we could create a virtual black community.
Obama stated, "Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic." So far, the British Council’s TN2020 members have stepped up as architects dedicated to the creation of such a bridge. I am happy to be a member of such an effort. However, it is only one of many. I hope that we will see not only the new U.S. President and his counterparts determine the bridge, but the citizens who will actually have to walk across it.
Jeff Johnson is an NABJ award-winning journalist, social activist and BET host of “The Truth with Jeff Johnson” and a founding member of Transatlantic Network 2020.
