The Foreign Service Journal, April 2012

58 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 1 2 O n Thursday, Feb.16, AFSA hosted a panel discussion on the state of the European Union and the cur- rent euro crisis. Retired Ambassador Edward M. Rowell moderated the panel, which featuredDanishAmbassador Peter Taksøe-JensenandActingDeputyAssistant Secretary of the Treasury for Europe and Eurasia Jeffrey K. Baker. Baker and Amb. Rowell, both experts on European fiscal and economic issues, have been deeply involved in the most severe fiscal crisis to hit Europe in the 20 years since the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, and a decade after the introduction of the euro. Amb. Taksøe-Jensen shared the per- spectiveof E.U. nations as theygrapplewith the ongoing crisis. Noting that Denmark currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, he described the process, and complications, of getting 17 member-states to agree on howto respond. Despite some opposition to various proposals, all concur that failure to address the problem would harm the entire E.U., he said “Look at Germany. They benefit every day from the euro because they have a much lower interest rate, which has a very positive impact on their exports and so forth. And so it’s not sodifficult to explain to the German worker that it’s also in his interest that Germany takes steps to solve the crisis,” he remarked. While acknowledging that solutions to the crisismust come fromE.U. members, Mr. Baker emphasizedhowcritical the suc- cess of the euro is to the rest of the world. “Our first, best strategy is to have Europe do what it needs to preserve its own cur- rency union,” he said. The euro zone has the capacity and resources to succeed, he continued, but “the politics are difficult.” The eventwas inspiredbyapairof focus articles intheFebruaryeditionof the Foreign Service Journal on the euro debt crisis. In his commentary, Alan Larson, a retired career ambassadorwhohas servedasunder secretary for economic affairs and assistant secretary for economic andbusiness affairs, makes a case for a greater focus on eco- nomic issues inAmericandiplomacy. And Bruce Stokes, a senior trans-Atlantic fellow at theGermanMarshall Fundof theUnited States, warns that the euro crisis threatens the strength and stability of the U.S.-E.U. strategic partnership. More than 80 people attended the event, which concludedwith a livelyQ&A session that made clear the great interest in this timely subject. BothAmb. Taksøe- Jensen andMr. Baker expressed optimism that the difficult choices to preserve the European Union’s common currency could be made. “More Europe is the answer,” saidMr. Baker. Amb. Taksøe-Jensen agreed, telling the audience, “There is support to go down this road to more Europe, and wewill have the strength tobring ourselves out of this crisis.” A F S A N E W S on their way to slaughter in Kampala. FSOs and other U.S. government employees overseas have also contributed to AKI’s efforts. Some help by ensuring donated funds and supplies, such as tick and flea medicines and sutures, reach in- country partner organizations. Sometimes the most valued support isn’t financial but emotional. Pilar Thorn, founder ofHelpingHands forHounds of Honduras, had this to say: “For me, it is a great helpand liftsmy spirits toknowI can count onAKI tohelp inmy efforts to edu- cate people about the humane treatment of domestic animals. Just knowing there is someone out therewhounderstands the kinds of problems one encounters in less developed countriesmakesmywork a lot easier.” AKI also supports a network of small but determined animal welfare groups whosework spans the globe, withpartner organizations inUganda,Namibia,Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, South Sudan, Jamaica, Honduras, Bosnia andArmenia. To learn more about AKI and its partner organi- zations, please visit www.animal-kind.org. To contact AKI, please e-mail karen@ani- mal-kind.org. ElizabethHaskett serves on the board of AKI. She is an animal welfare advocate living in Anchorage, Alaska, with her husband, Geoff, and their dog, Stella. Animals • Continued from page 57 More Europe Is the Answer BY CLINT LOHSE, AFSA LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS ASSISTANT Left to right: Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Europe and Eurasia Jeffrey K. Baker, Danish Ambassador Peter Taksøe-Jensen, AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston and retired Ambassador Edward M. Rowell after a lively panel discussion on the state of the European Union and the euro on Feb. 16 at AFSA headquarters. PATRICK BRADLEY