After nearly 70 years, the American Embassy in Berlin [right] is

back in its proper place astride the famed Brandenburg Gate.

Berliner Morgenpost, Germany

America Returns to the Heart of Berlin: 'It is High Time'

"From this new embassy a message must be sent forth - America is leaving behind the anti-terrorist fortress that was forced upon it, is opening itself up again, is displaying its flag in Germany again and is aggressively promoting understanding of its role as last superpower."

By Jochim Stoltenberg

Translated By Ulf Behncke

July 5, 2008

Germany - Berliner Morgenpost - Original Article (German)

With a large public festival in and around the new embassy at its historic location at Pariser Platz, American has once again opened the square to Berliners. After years of isolation behind concrete blocks and barbed-wire fences, the Western superpower is once again flying its flag in Berlin and has resumed its place at the heart of the city between the Brandenburg Gate and the "Adlon" [the Adlon Hotel, a landmark that has been at that location since 1907]. It is high time.  

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

America's reputation and appeal has suffered badly in recent years. That was due to political as well as military decisions that have been taken - and of course, a president whose sense of mission and often radical rhetoric was unsettling to many Germans. The result has been an alarming cooling in relations with the United States. Not so much because of the country or the people themselves, and certainly not due to any difference over shared values like freedom, democracy and human rights. But most emphatically because of the man who has been President for the past eight years and his administration. It is essential that the United States win back its lost credibility.

The new embassy alongside the Brandenburg Gate, precisely where the Berlin Wall once stood and divided Germany and Europe, is the ideal place for this. It symbolizes the victory of freedom over dictatorship and oppression. It reminds us that what seems impossible - is possible - when the goal (such as reunification) is doggedly pursued and one has reliable allies (America) at one's side.

But as much as recalling the past is important, nostalgia isn't enough. From this embassy a message must be sent forth - having nothing to do with its disputed architecture: America is leaving behind the anti-terrorist fortress that was forced upon it, is opening itself up again, is displaying its flag in Germany again and is aggressively promoting understanding of its role as last superpower.

Nowhere else in the world has America mastered this challenge as convincingly as it has in Berlin. From here it must begin; from here it must succeed. From mutual suspicion and condescension on one hand, to arrogance and resistance to advice on the other, a relationship based on honest partnership can be - must be - restored. A new president and his new ambassador will offer an opportunity for a major revival of German-American friendship.

Today’s festival, to which the outgoing U.S. Ambassador invited all of Berlin, is such a gesture of goodwill. Despite the continuing necessity of security measures, the citizens of Berlin will appreciate it nonetheless. Given the current terrorist threat, no one would expect the new embassy building to be an "open house." But there are limits to what is reasonable. Because of a certain degree of security hysteria, the Americans tend to overstep these limits. More than necessary, this encourages a sense of alienation. Absolute security is illusory in any case. Therefore, the future ambassador should note that a less-menacing stance by the new Embassy would be beneficial to the common cause.

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US July 12, 3:40pm]