President
sticks to big themes of freedom and openness but acknowledges concerns over
threats to privacy and drone strikes
guardian.co.uk,
Dan Roberts in Washington and Kate Connolly in Berlin, Wednesday 19 June 2013
 |
| Obama at the Brandenburg Gate. The president said US surveillance programs were aimed at 'threats to security, not ordinary persons'. Photo: Michael Kappeler/Corbis |
Barack Obama called for a renaissance in the shared liberal values that underpin
western nations on Wednesday as he announced plans to cut nuclear weapons in a
much-anticipated speech in Berlin that also acknowledged unease over privacy
and drone strikes.
Speaking at
the Brandenburg Gate, in the shadow of historic speeches by Presidents Kennedy
and Reagan, Obama stuck to big themes but clearly sought to address concerns in
Germany caused by recent revelations of internet surveillance and US drone
warfare.
After
quoting Immanuel Kant on freedom and his belief "in open societies that
respect that sanctity of the individual", the president echoed calls he
made during a recent speech in Washington for an ending of America's war on
terror.
"Threats
to freedom don't merely come from the outside; they can come from within, from
our own fears. For over a decade, America has been at war, but much has changed
… no nation can maintain its freedom if it does not move beyond mindset of
perpetual war."
The
president called for tight controls on the "use of new technology like
drones and balancing security with privacy" but said he was confident the
US could strike the right balance.
 |
| Obama: big themes. Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images |
Obama also
insisted that US surveillance programmes were aimed at "threats to
security, not the communications of ordinary persons" and said "they
keep people safe in Europe as well as the US".
But he
acknowledged there were legitimate concerns over privacy and other hot-button
issues such as drones and Guantánamo.
"We
must listen to voices that disagree with us, and have a open debate about how
we use our powers and remember that government exists to serve the power of
individual not the other way around … that is what keeps us different to those
on the other side of the wall. That's what keeps us true to our better
history," said Obama.
Among the
only firm policy statements was a comittment to cut US nuclear weapons arsenals
by a third and seek fresh talks with Russia to reduce stocks further.
"We
are on track to cut nuke warheads to lowest levels since 1950s … but we have
more work to do, so I am announcing [that] we can ensure security of US and
allies by reducing our stored weapons by up to one third," said Obama.
"I intend to start talks with Russia to move beyond cold war
postures."
Speaking to
an invited crowd of 6,000 guests, he also hinted at calls for greater German
support for US intervention in countries such as Syria.
"We
cannot dictate the pace of change in Arab world but we must reject the excuse
that we can do nothing to support it," said Obama.
But much of
the speech was couched in broad calls for a restoration of the western alliance
that helped defeat communism, amid growing fears in Washington that support for
Nato and US is waning in Europe.
"There
can at times be a complacency among our western democracies," he said.
"We face no concrete walls … sometimes there can be a sense that the great
challenges have somehow passed and that brings with it a temptation to turn
inward."
 |
| Obama wipes his brow. Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images |
Receiving a
cheer for taking his jacket off in sweltering heat and reprising John F
Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" line, Obama called on German people
to remember what they shared with America.
"Our
alliance is the foundation of global security and our trade the engine of the
global economy," said the president.
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