We, the undersigned, are grateful inheritors of the postwar regime of transatlantic security bestowed on us by visionary American and European leaders who were inspired by common values and united against common threats. We rise in defense of the precious alliance of democracies—and its treaties, institutions and norms—that has sustained peace and generated prosperity from the Cold War to the present day. As students of history, we know all too well the terrible price that has been paid when these principles were not respected and protected.

Resolved to preserve our essential alliance—and refusing to allow the inevitable differences that arise even among the closest partners to jeopardize our bond—we use this occasion, when basic assumptions are being challenged and, at times, debased, to recommit to the shared ideals and precepts on which our nations have relied since the end of the Second World War.

To this end, we are united in reaffirming:

– Our commitment to the rules-based international order, in which unprovoked violations of borders are punished, legal mechanisms are empowered to address global challenges while honoring national sovereignty, and standards are maintained to safeguard universal human rights;
– Our confidence in NATO—the indispensable bulwark of peace and security for almost 70 years—and our appreciation of the organization’s inestimable strategic value to the United States and its 28 transatlantic allies;
– Our respect for the European Union, which—from its inception as the European Coal and Steel Community to its current 28-member configuration—has kept historically fractious Europe whole and free, and proven to be the most ambitious and successful peace project in modern history;
– Our determination to assure the integrity of the West’s intelligence, law enforcement and security agencies, on whose professionalism, cooperation and responsiveness we all rely to protect us from dangers both foreign and domestic, of state and non-state origin;
– Our defense of democracy and our support of appropriate measures to counter appeals to extremism, xenophobia and all forms of bigotry; uphold a free and independent press; thwart and deter cyberattacks; and block attempts at electoral interference.

In this defining moment, we urge other political and diplomatic leaders who share our concerns and convictions to join us in this pledge—and stand together, stakeholders in democratic societies, allied against common dangers and in pursuit of common opportunities in an evolving world.

Main Signatories:

Madeleine Albright*
Secretary of State of the U.S., 1997-2001

John Baird*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, 2011-2015

Joe Biden*
Vice President of the U.S., 2009-2017

Tony Blair*
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1997-2007

John Boehner*
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 2011-2015

Bob Dole*
Presidential Nominee, 1996;
U.S. Senator, 1969-1996

Joschka Fischer*
Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, 1998-2005

Franco Frattini*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, 2002-2004 and 2008-2011;
European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security, 2004-2008

Paolo Gentiloni*
Prime Minister of Italy, 2016-2018

Stephen Hadley*
National Security Advisor of the U.S., 2005-2009

Toomas Ilves*
President of Estonia, 2006-2016

Wolfgang Ischinger*
Munich Security Conference Chair, 2008–Present;
Ambassador of Germany to the U.S., 2001-2006

Ioannis Kasoulides*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, 1997-2003 and 2013-2018

Bronisław Komorowski*
President of Poland, 2010-2015

Aleksander Kwaśniewski*
President of Poland 1995-2005

Miroslav Lajčák
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, 2009-2010, 2012-present

Joe Lieberman*
Vice Presidential Nominee, 2000;
U.S. Senator, 1989-2013

Daniel Mitov*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, 2014-2017

Miguel Ángel Moratinos*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, 2004-2010

Sam Nunn*
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, 1987-1995;
U.S. Senator, 1972-1997

Ana de Palacio y del Valle-Lersundi*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, 2002-2004

Leon Panetta*
Secretary of Defense of the U.S., 2011-2013;
Director of the CIA, 2009-2011

Solomon Passy*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, 2001-2005

Susan Rice*
National Security Advisor of the U.S., 2013-2017

Antonis Samaras*
Prime Minister of Greece, 2012-2015

Karel Schwarzenberg
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, 2007-2009, 2010-2013

George Shultz*
Secretary of State of the U.S., 1982-1989

Radosław Sikorski*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, 2007-2014

Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata*
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, 2011-2013

Manuel Valls*
Prime Minister of France, 2014-2016

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga*
President of Latvia, 1999-2007

Alexandr Vondra*
Minister of Defense of Czech Republic, 2010-2012

Michael Zantovsky
Czech Republic Ambassador to the U.S., 1992-1997

Emanuelis Zingeris*
Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Lithuania, 2010-Present

American Jewish Committee