By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Security institutions in Europe must reckon with new challenges, and the United States will support her allies in doing so. While we must consider new approaches, we must not permit our common objectives and values to slip from view.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is Secretary of State of the United States.

The alliance between Europe and the United States has delivered more than 60 years of peace and progress. But today, the key institutions of European security that have shaped our alliance need to be renewed and, to an extent, refashioned. They were designed to address 20th-century problems. Now we face new threats, such as cyber warfare, global terrorism, energy shutoffs, climate change, and global criminal networks that traffic in drugs, weapons, and people. The world has changed. The institutions that sustain European security and prosperity must change as well.

New thinking is underway on both sides of the Atlantic. NATO is revising its Strategic Concept. Russia has suggested both a new European Security Treaty and a new NATO-Russia Treaty. The United States, too, has been studying ways to strengthen and extend European security. We seek to engage with all nations on ideas for keeping Europe secure in this new era. As we do, we will be guided by a set of core principles that reflect both our commitment to European security and our role in shaping, strengthening, and sustaining it.

"We will continue stationing American troops in Europe, both to deter attacks and to respond quickly if any occur."

First among these principles is respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. Much of the suffering that occurred in Europe during the last century resulted from a failure to respect borders and the right of all nations to pursue their own foreign policies. We reject any spheres of influence in Europe in which one country seeks to control the future of another.

In particular, we support the right of countries to enter into alliances of their choosing - a principle that Russia and all other members of the OSCE endorsed at the 1999 Istanbul Summit. We believe that the enlargement of NATO and the EU have increased stability and prosperity to the entire continent, including Russia. Russia's western frontier is now more stable and secure than at any time in history.

Second, security in Europe must be indivisible. Too often, discussions of European security are fixed on geographical and political divides: East and West; old Europe and new; NATO and non-NATO; EU and non-EU. But the reality is that there aren't many Europes; there is only one Europe. And in one Europe, security is not a zero-sum game.

The indivisibility of security is a key feature of Russia's recent proposals for reform. We support the goal but disagree with Russia's approach. The best way forward is by strengthening existing institutions, such as the OSCE and the NATO-Russia Council, rather than creating new treaties, as Russia has suggested.

Third, we will maintain an unwavering commitment to the pledge enshrined in Article V of the NATO treaty: An attack on one is an attack on all. We will continue stationing American troops in Europe, both to deter attacks and to respond quickly if any occur. We are working with our allies to develop plans for responding to contingencies and new threats, including challenges to Europe's energy security and the threat of ballistic missile attack from Iran. And we are serious about exploring ways to cooperate with Russia to develop missile defenses that enhance the security of all of Europe.

Fourth, we are committed to practicing transparency in our dealings in Europe - and call on other nations to do the same. In this interconnected age, a threat that originates in one country can quickly become a regional or global crisis. Europe's security depends on maintaining open channels of communication. The United States supports the sharing of data on military activities, including visits to military sites and observation of military activities and exercises.

To this end, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, or CFE, Treaty needs our attention. For more than 20 years, the CFE Treaty has been a cornerstone of conventional arms control, transparency, and confidence-building. But this valuable regime is in danger of crumbling. While the United States and its allies continue to share the data on our forces that the treaty requires, Russia suspended the implementation of the CFE Treaty two years ago. The tragedy of the Russia-Georgia war in 2008 was a further obstacle. We need to revive discussions on the way forward with our allies, Russia, and other signatories.

"Advancing the stability and security of Europe is a critical element of US foreign policy and an expression of our core values."

Fifth, people everywhere have the right to live free from the fear of nuclear destruction. In Prague last year, President Obama declared the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons. As long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure, and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and we will guarantee that defense to our allies. But we will begin the work of reducing our arsenal. We will spare no effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to secure existing stockpiles and materials. And we will continue our intensive efforts with our European allies and others to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.

Sixth, true security entails not only peaceful relations between states but opportunities and rights for the individuals who live within them. Secure nations defend human rights and allow citizens to choose their leaders, express dissent, and participate in civil society. They offer citizens the opportunity to live in healthy communities, receive an education, hold a job, raise a family if they choose, travel freely, and make the most of their God-given potential. Development, democracy, and human rights comprise a mutually reinforcing cycle; when that cycle is broken, a nation is not secure.

The people of Europe understand that security is about both military might and human potential. Europe's security is provided by an array of institutions, including NATO, the European Union, and the OSCE, which provide the full range of tools-military, political, economic, social, and legal. Now we must reinforce our commitment to these institutions and ensure that they can meet today's challenges.

Advancing the stability and security of Europe is a critical element of US foreign policy as well as an expression of our core values. We stand with Europe today as we have for decades because enduring bonds connect our nations and our people.

Guided by our principles, inspired by our shared history, Europe and the United States are poised to renew our alliance for a new era, to maintain peace and security in Europe today and in the years to come.

(SZ vom 05.02.2010/dgr)