Speeches & Remarks
Remarks to the Danish National Press Club
U.S. Embassy Copenhagen
October 26, 2006
First of all it is pleasure to welcome you all here this morning. I hope that you all managed to make it through our, rather strict, although necessary, security and that you dropped your weapons off with the guards before going through the metal detectors.
You think I am joking, but over the years we have often been surprised by the kind of things reporters try to bring with them into the Embassy. My staff tells me that on one notable occasion a female journalist from Politiken arrived to interview one of my predecessor's wives without any form of ID whatsoever, and in her bag she had a 12-inch hunting knife! On other occasions, journalists have confounded our security by setting off the alarms with everything from electronic insulin readers to metal hip replacements! But looking round the room, there do not seem to be too many empty spaces, so most of you must have made it in without too much effort.
I understand that National Press Club is one of the oldest and most esteemed press organizations in the country – founded in 1880 -- and that informal meetings such as this one -- that combine both a professional and social element -- have long been something of a tradition. In short, I have heard that you like to party!
In this connection, I hope you enjoy your visit here and the genuine American food that Keld has cooked for you this morning. It has been said by some mean spirited people in the past that traditional, high cholesterol American breakfasts are not good for you, but I beg to differ and a recent American Medical Association survey of food and health around the world supports this theory.
AMA statistics show that Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. On the other hand, the AMA has noted that the French eat of lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. Furthermore, the Swiss drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. The Italians, however, drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like – it's speaking English that kills you!
On that note, I must apologize to you all for having to speak English here today. I hope you will bear with me.
Denmark is a unique society. I have been particularly taken by the safety of a nation in which its Queen can go among her people with the minimum of security, a country in which violent crime is rare by American, indeed Western standards, and a country in which there is a social welfare network which secures the public against poverty and ill health. Denmark has its priorities in order.
A 37-hour workweek and weekends that are sacred and geared to the family is another feature that has intrigued me. You Danes have been able to develop a healthy and very successful business life and economy within the framework of a national culture that is not only cosmopolitan and sophisticated, but at the same time also tolerant and understanding.
I have noticed your interest in America's entrepreneurial culture, in our willingness to take risks, and in our religious faith. I have also found that you appreciate a self-deprecating sense of humor. But more than anything, I have learned that the United States has no greater friend in the world than Denmark. Never was this more graphically illustrated than during the days following the tragic attacks on the 11th September 2001. The spontaneous outpouring of sympathy and support for America from the people of Denmark was something that few people in America or at this embassy will ever forget.
9/11 has changed all our lives. It has changed the way we travel, where we go, how we get there. And it has changed the way we measure our friends. For too long America's policy in the Middle East was to pursue stability at the expense of liberty. 9/11 made it clear that the path to long-term security was to change the course of the Middle East. So America thereafter embraced countries who would commit to advance freedom and democracy in the Middle East, and who would commit to the war against terror. The advance of democracy may take longer than some would like, but it will advance, if we are patient.
In the fall of last year we launched an initiative to reach out to the ethnic community in Denmark. We met with the Ethnic Minority Council in Randers; visited Bazar Vest in Aarhus; invited Muslim leaders to lunch at my home; and I shot basketball with young Muslim boys and girls in Mjølner Parken. Our activities such as these were in place before the Mohammed cartoon crisis, but of course our efforts were increased subsequent to that controversy. My own experience is that the vast majority of Muslims want to live in peace, that they like living in a Western society, and that they reject extremism. And yet, there is no denying that it is from communities like Vollsmose and Gellerup Parken where the homegrown terrorists of London, Madrid and Frankfurt came from.
The question extremists are asking is this: If we frighten you enough, if we make you live in daily fear of unjust acts, if we show you that we can bring terror to your streets, if we do all these things to you, will you change your policies, abandon the dream of expanding democracy and freedom, and leave us alone to impose medieval regimes of tyranny and oppression in the Middle East, where women have no rights, girls will not be educated, where free speech is not tolerated, and other religions are forbidden? This is the question extremists are asking around the world.
It is the same question posed to you last February when these same regimes, using the excuse of "cartoons," orchestrated the torching of embassies, the burning of flags, and the hanging in effigy of your prime minister, all in an attempt to intimidate you to withdraw from active engagement in global affairs.
You answered them then, and you have answered them again now.
Your post-cartoon actions to expand your troop presence in Afghanistan, to commit a C-130 aircraft to the UN operations in that theatre, to extend your presence in Iraq, to engage in aggressive diplomacy at the UN Security Council in search of secure borders and a sustainable peace for Israel and Lebanon, and your willingness to change your laws to provide your government the tools to protect each one of us from these acts, all of these things answer the question posed by the terrorists.
And your answer is, "No, we will not back away, we will not back down, we will not give up the fight for freedom, and we will not give into your threats to our security."
And for that answer, all of America is grateful.
The 21st century demands trailblazing and creativity. Along with Danes, Americans want to live in a world of shared values built around the principles of democracy and free trade. We must continue to reject the suggestion that freedom and democracy are relative concepts that vary according to culture. On the contrary: we believe that they are objective, palpable human rights that enrich and dignify the human condition and that they transcend sovereignty in the sense that they are basic to our human existence. Defending them is a fundamental tenet of American practice and policies.
My friends back home, and occasionally my American colleagues in other European capitals, often ask, "Why is Denmark so engaged in the fight for freedom and security?"
Why is Denmark, they ask, this little country, so firm in NATO, the EU, and the UN Security Council? Why are they so engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo? Why do they have the most soldiers per capita on international missions of any European country and higher per capita commitment to humanitarian relief? Why are they taking such a lead on strengthening their laws to fight terrorism? Are they just "following America," some ask? My answer is no, they are not just following America. It is because Danes have a long memory, and those memories anchor an abiding commitment to freedom.
As the President recently said:
"We see a day when people across the Middle East have governments that honor their dignity, and unleash their creativity, and count their votes. We see a day when across this region citizens are allowed to express themselves freely, women have full rights, and children are educated and given the tools necessary to succeed in life. And we see a day when all the nations of the Middle East are allies in the cause of peace. We fight for this day, because the security of our own citizens depends on it."
The world in which we live is filled with contradictions and competing needs. The people in our countries live in peace, yet Denmark and the U.S. are also fighting a relentless war against terror. We are both prosperous nations whose citizens enjoy freedoms and benefits that most of the world envies. And yet, as economic, social, political, and technological forces transform our world at an incredible pace, the challenges and opportunities facing the United States and our allies are numerous and complex. Viewing Denmark's achievements, past and present, the U.S. could wish for no better partner. The values we have in common will help us achieve the vision we share for the 21st century.
We are thankful that Denmark is with us in this fight, and I thank you for inviting me to speak to you this morning.