WASHINGTON — We in the GMF family mourn the passing of our colleague and friend, Ron Asmus.  He left us far too early.

Ron brought unparalleled vision, energy, and creativity to GMF.  The many tributes that have already been written this week heralding his impressive accomplishments are testament to the significant role he played in the making and executing of U.S. foreign policy toward Europe.  The scope of his achievements is remarkable for a man of only 53.  But that was Ron.  His incredible dynamism underpinned those successes and all of us at GMF admired him for it.

Ron’s career spanned stints at Radio Free Europe, RAND, the U.S. State Department (where he pushed successfully for NATO enlargement as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs), and the Council on Foreign Relations.  He brought that stellar background and accumulated expertise to GMF in 2002, and he changed us for the better.  That was Ron.

He joined GMF as a senior fellow and quickly set the standard for the “policy entrepreneur.”  He not only came up with brilliant ideas, but also figured out how to fund them – and how best to present them to have the greatest impact on the foreign policy community on both sides of the Atlantic.  Ron understood that to make a difference your ideas have to get the broadest possible hearing.  He was delighted when colleagues across the political spectrum agreed with him, but he also loved a good debate.  The fun for him was not just in developing an idea, but in testing it, refining it, and making it bolder.  That was Ron.  For that and much more, he became a model for so many of us at GMF.

In 2005, Ron became the Executive Director of GMF’s Brussels office.  He embraced living in Brussels with his characteristic enthusiasm.  His wife, Barbara, and his son, Erik, flourished alongside him.  Ron loved the staff he had there and always was on the lookout for new opportunities for them.  Being a mentor to young, motivated, and dedicated colleagues gave him particular joy.  Thanks to Ron’s inspired leadership, the Brussels office more than tripled in size.  He cemented the office’s reputation within the GMF constellation, not only through a focus on the EU and NATO – a natural one given the location – but also through cutting-edge work on the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and Asia.

Ron sought to make a concrete difference on the policy scene in Europe’s capital.  He wanted to enliven official Brussels with the ideas and creativity of the think tank community.  Brussels Forum proved an ideal vehicle for that.  Ron was the maestro conducting that first Brussels Forum in 2006.  Although he would be the first to credit the entire GMF village with that initial success, Ron was always the one pushing us to do better, to think in new and creative ways.  Ron prodded us continually to experiment with formats – limiting keynotes, making sure there were “challengers” on every panel, adding night-owl sessions that would be off-the-record and, thus, generate more open conversation.  He also pushed us to add something new at each successive Brussels Forum.  That was Ron.  And Ron, the serious, strategic thinker that he was, also relished the nitty-gritty of putting together seating charts for the big Friday night dinner.  Why?  Because he loved to think about what individuals to put together, combining those who didn’t know each other and could have a spirited discussion and learn from one other by provoking, probing, or simply listening to each other.  Through Brussels Forum, Ron and GMF enlivened the policy debate not only in Brussels, but also across the transatlantic community.  Today, Brussels Forum is GMF’s signature conference.

Ron’s increasing centrality to all GMF did led GMF President Craig Kennedy to ask him to join the senior management team.   In that capacity, Ron was a critical player in thinking about how GMF needed to change to meet the demands of an evolving transatlantic community in the 21^st century.  Much as Ron is known for his unceasing efforts to bring the countries of Central and Eastern Europe into NATO, he was keenly aware, during his time at GMF, that growing challenges to the transatlantic relationship lay beyond Europe.   He never forgot the challenges in wider Europe, and his commitment to Georgia is just one example of that, but he was also a driving force behind GMF’s work in Asia.

Ron’s death stunned us.  We had believed that the combination of Ron’s singular willpower and excellent medical treatment would allow him to win this battle against cancer, but the road to recovery ultimately proved too hard for too long.  He fought bravely for many years.  That spirit, his spirit, inspired us and gave us hope.  That was so Ron.

Barbara and Erik, thank you for sharing Ron with us these past nine years.  His vision for GMF will live on, because the vibrancy of his personality and the compelling nature of his ideas ensured that his vision became GMF’s own.

Karen Donfried stepped down as GMF’s Executive Vice President in October 2010.

Share/Bookmark

Sixty years ago today, on June 5, 1947, then Secretary of State George Marshall delivered a short speech at Harvard University’s commencement that would change history. The resulting Marshall Plan provided substantial U.S. financial assistance to a war-torn European continent. By the time the Marshall Plan ended in 1952, the US had invested $13.3 billion.

The Marshall Plan is not only an example of successful U.S. diplomacy or U.S. magnanimity, but also of self-interest. The United States wanted to prevent further stagnation of world trade, promote the economic recovery of Europe, and stop any further Communist gains on the continent.

For GMF, June 5 is important for another reason beyond Marshall’s famous speech. Today marks the 35th anniversary of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. GMF was conceived of and established as a permanent memorial to the Marshall Plan. On June 5, 1972, Willy Brandt, then Chancellor of West Germany, in a speech at Harvard University, announced a significant financial gift to establish GMF.

Two common features of the Marshall Plan and Brandt’s innovative gift are especially noteworthy. First, both gave the recipient a pivotal role in deciding how the funds would be used. Transatlantic cooperation was paramount. Marshall insisted that European governments had to be in the lead: “This is the business of the Europeans. The initiative, I think, must come from Europe.” One critical condition of the aid was that European governments had to cooperate in developing a plan to spend the money for the benefit of the entire region. The Marshall Plan challenged the European partners to enter into close economic cooperation. Many believe that steps initiated under the European Recovery Program led to the launching of the Coal and Steel Community in 1952 and eventually to the European Union of today.

In 1972, Brandt felt strongly that the gift he would announce should be given with no strings attached. GMF would be a wholly American organization, with an American president and an all-American Board of Trustees. Brandt believed that America’s presence in Europe was more necessary than ever; that the European-American partnership was indispensable. GMF was to be dedicated to strengthening that partnership €“ but again, GMF would decide how its endowment would be used.

A second common feature of importance was that Marshall and Brandt both sought to be as inclusive as possible, reaching out to the entire European continent. Marshall’s offer extended to the Soviet Union and the nations of central and eastern Europe under Soviet occupation. After an initial meeting of the Soviet Foreign Minister with his British and French counterparts, however, the Soviets decided not to participate.

Twenty-five years later, in his Harvard speech, Brandt stated that we should “never underestimate the possibilities for cooperation across the whole of Europe that may arise in the years ahead.” He conceived of a German Marshall Fund that would one day work across Europe. With the end of the Cold War, GMF has done just that. Today, with its headquarters in Washington, GMF maintains seven offices across Europe in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Belgrade, Bratislava, Ankara, and Bucharest.

In a letter to then U.S. President Nixon informing him about the creation of GMF, Willy Brandt wrote that GMF “is meant to help keep awake and to strengthen in present and future generations the spirit of Euro-American solidarity and the awareness of our common destiny.” GMF seeks to fulfill that mission every day.

Share/Bookmark