Moving in the Right Direction
By Walter Pfaeffle

Henry Kissinger Honors AIG's British Boss

The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) awarded Martin J. Sullivan the Global Leadership Award for his exemplary contribution to transatlantic relations. 

Henry Kissinger, one of America's foremost foreign affairs experts, makes no attempt to hide his German accent.  "I cannot speak any language without an accent," he said at a recent black-tie gala. 

"I always wondered why the Brits speak with this accent," he added.  "I believe it's because they want to intimidate the Americans.  I am told that when you wake up a Brit at four in the morning, he speaks like a normal person."

He was speaking at a dinner in honor of a Briton, Martin J. Sullivan, president and CEO of the American International Group, Inc. (AIG), the world's largest insurer. 

Sullivan was this year's choice of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) for the Global Leadership Award.  The Johns Hopkins University-affiliated think tank every year singles out a top international business person who has demonstrated unique leadership that, according to AICGS Executive Director Jackson Janes, "strengthens the transatlantic relationship and reinforces the bonds between Germany/Europe and the United States." 

Previous honorees include A.G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble Co., the former heads of DaimlerChrysler AG and Siemens AG, Juergen Schrempp and Heinrich von Pierer, respectively, former Deutsche Bank AG CEO Rolf Breuer and the chairman of Citigroup, Sanford Weill. 

In introducing this year's Global Leadership Award recipient, Kissinger noted that Sullivan not only is an excellent manager, but also one who understands the responsibilities of large corporations when it comes to building bridges across the world.  He specifically said it was gatherings such as the Nov. 2 award ceremony, which was held at Cipriani's restaurant in New York, that underlined the common value and shared goals that bind peoples across the oceans. 

For Kissinger, the Atlantic community is one of the most important connections in the world, measured not only by investment figures but also by a commitment to a common set of values.  With respect to Germany and German-American relations, he said that corporate ties make up an important bond which is nurturing that community.  All people engaged with each other are important to that process, he said. 

Trying out his German on Kissinger and many other German speakers in the audience, Sullivan thanked the former secretary of state for his, "freundliche Wörter" and for the privilege to receive the award from "a foreign policy expert as notable as Dr. Kissinger."  Kissinger is a member of AIG's International Advisory Board. 

Germany, Sullivan said during his speech, is moving in the right direction.  Economic growth has picked up and - perhaps most importantly - Germany is once again in compliance with EU rules that limit the size of budget deficits, he said.  This sound fiscal policy not only improves the economic outlook for Germany but, in Sullivan's view, reestablishes German leadership on fiscal discipline throughout the eurozone. 

Sullivan's basic point, however, was less the performance of Germany's economy than the importance of the transatlantic bridge of which Germany is the key foundations.  This, in his view, also requires that business leadership, academia, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must remain engaged and committed to improving transatlantic relations and the U.S.-German partnership.  "The economic success of Germany is clear proof that choosing a strong Europe and strong U.S.-EU relations do not have to have conflicting goals," he said. 

Making a pitch for free trade, Sullivan called on political leaders not to let one single issue, namely agriculture, get in the way of a stronger trade relationship.  Having always been the key champion of European integration, Germany is as well placed as any country to assume a leadership role, he said. 

At the same time, Germany and the United States are the world's top exporting nations, and bilaterally have one of the strongest trade and investment relationship of any two nations in the world, he said.  He praised Chancellor Angela Merkel's demonstrated commitment to making the future of the transatlantic relationship a priority for Germany's rotating EU presidency, which begins on January 1. 

Germany also is well placed for this role as host country of the annual G8 summit on the Baltic Sea and the annual U.S.-EU summit in Washington next spring, providing the opportunity to set the agenda on the most pressing issues such as trade.  It would be a mistake, he warned, to allow agricultural issues to push the U.S. and the EU away from each other in pursuit of trade deals with other countries. 

AIG's relationship with Germany dates back to 1946, when it provided insurance to members of the U.S. Armed Forces.  According to company statistics, it insures more than two-thirds of the firms listed on the DAX stock index.  And in the last five years, AIG's total business in Germany has increased five-fold.

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Walter Pfaeffle is a German-born journalist who lives in New York.

This article originally appeared in the December edition of The Atlantic Times.