In the final instalment of our 2020 US election stakes series, Delano journalist Natalie Gerhardstein posed three questions to US Ambassador to Luxembourg Randy Evans.
Natalie A. Gerhardstein: Ambassador Evans, if you had to name the most critical stake in this year’s US presidential election,what would it be and why?
Ambassador Evans: Well, candidly, it's a little bit of a difficult question to answer, only because there are so many variables [on what] could happen in the US. So, for example, the President could get re-elected, but the Republicans lose the Senate, or the President could not get re-elected, but the Republicans keep the Senate, or the Republicans could gain control of the US House of Representatives. Our system of government is so multi-tiered: it’s designed to make sure that power never gets concentrated in any one place. It really depends on what the outcome is, and how that outcome is reflected in each of these different parts. The presidential election [is] certainly the one that most people around the world are most focused on but it’s one component of one part of what will happen on election day in the US.
The most important part is that Americans go vote. The results will then vary depending on what the impact of that vote is. And what’s at stake, really, is the ability to set the direction for the next four years, subject to the review procedures that exist within the US by the other branches of government… so, while any one president has a huge amount of impact because of the breadth and power of the presidency of the United States of America, it's still subject to--as we see with the confirmation of Supreme Court nominations--the checks and balances that exist among the other branches. But it’s a major election. It will dictate for the next four years what the direction of the US is, [what] both domestic and foreign policy will be.
Which issues in this election could have a more weighted impact on Luxembourg?
I think the impact on Luxembourg really will be less so than many other countries that might exist within Europe. The United States and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg have always had a historically close relationship and alliance. And, as you know, over the last three years, we've really worked very hard to strengthen and deepen those relationships. Relationships that are that deep and that strong tend to be less impacted by the changes that exist and that occur in the executive branch than other relationships which are on the front line. And so in countries where the relationship between the US and a third-party country is in a state of transition--in other words, it's still yet to be determined exactly how things will develop--the impact of the outcome of the election will be great.
On the other hand, in the grand duchy, we have worked very hard to build long-term relationships, such as the Artemis Accords, which are designed to take women and men from here to an orbiting satellite to the moon to Mars. That's really not going to be impacted that much by who sits in the White House. Now there'll be other things that relate to the European Union, that will be greatly impacted… the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Iran deal] will be greatly impacted by the outcome of the election. But the bilateral relationship between the US and the grand duchy is pretty solid and very secure.
You mention the Artemis Accords: on 13 October it was announced that Luxembourg joined as one of the eight founding international signatories of them. You’ve also said before how much Luxembourg matters in space: how do you envision this relationship developing in the future?
I think the most important thing is that even though Luxembourg had made such enormous strides in the space sector--beginning all the way back with the launch of the very first satellite by SES all the way through deputy prime minister [Etienne] Schneider's efforts to create an investment-friendly space sector environment, to the things that we did with regard to the space Memorandum of Understanding--nothing probably remotely compares to having the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg be among the first of eight countries in the world to participate in a bilateral relationship, [one] that is designed to help all of humanity, regardless of the pandemic, regardless of the crisis, regardless of the other issues… to have a place for renewable, sustainable materials, a place to go, a place for oxygen, a place for people, a place for resources and development, for investments that provide for enormous returns on the capital markets. The list of things that result from this kind of relationship are huge.
But, much more importantly than that, it solidifies the grand duchy as a player, as one of the countries who have a seat at the table, as we start to develop the boundaries of how we explore space, when we explore space and what we do when we get there. And for the grand duchy--which is a country which is so uniquely adept at assimilating a multitude of different backgrounds and the languages, beliefs and goals--it's a country itself that is reflective of what you would want to happen from the Artemis Accords, of course, which is to take the many different approaches, blend them, find the best, and then use them as a template to go forward for the future… Certainly in this millennium, since the year 2000, it's got to be one of the most historical days for the country.
I'm glad the government was so helpful in seeing the possibilities and always looking for the solutions, always focusing on the opportunities. And that I got to be a part of it was a great honour for me individually as the ambassador.
Ambassador Evans is the guest of honour for the 21 October US Elections Debate event, organised by Paperjam Club and Delano magazine. Register for the event here.
