British ambassador discusses U.S.-Britain partnership

Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, spoke to about 200 IU students, faculty members and University officials Thursday at the Indiana Memorial Union.

Sheinwald served as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s foreign policy and defence adviser as well as Head of the Cabinet Office Defense and Overseas Secretariat before being appointed as the ambassador in 2007. He talked about his view on the partnership between Europe — especially the U.K. — and the United States and the relationship between Europe and the rest of the world based on his knowledge and experiences in foreign policy and affairs.

As a brief introduction, IU President Michael McRobbie said one of the reasons the University invited Sheinwald was “his dedication to international education.”
McRobbie said Sheinwald has long been interested in promoting higher education and researching links between the U.S. and the U.K.  

Sheinwald said the student- and scholar-exchange programs between the U.S. and the U.K will continue to grow. Currently, IU has 10 study-abroad programs that travel to the U.K.

He also referred to the historic wartime partnership between former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and former U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and said the two countries have gained shared similarities in global strategic agendas since then.

Sheinwald admitted today’s global community is facing many problems and that it is
not enough to solely rely on the cooperation of the U.S. and U.K. to work out solutions for issues such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation and climate change.         

“We want to take a global approach to global problems,” Sheinwald said.

Recognizing the power of emerging developing countries and their roles in the world,
Sheinwald said he looked forward to seeing countries such as China and India realize their responsibilities in global issues and search for more cooperation.

Though stressing the importance of global cooperation, Sheinwald said the partnership between Europe and the United States is still “most operational and critical,” something he called a “strong legal binding.”

Sheinwald illustrated his view on the foundation of progressing the world in the 21st century by using Churchill’s famous wartime quote: “If we are together, nothing is impossible, and if we are divided, all will fail.”

However, Sheinwald did not forget to entertain the audience by referring to a possible
upcoming rivalry.

“That’s the match between the United States and England in the World Cup,” he said, as both teams will be competing in Group C in South Africa this summer.