| April 2006
Transatlantic Relations | German-American Relations | European Union | NATO |
F1 - Europe and the United States: An Evolving Alliance
Schoonover, Brenda B.
American Diplomacy, March 24, 2006, online edition
Schoonover examines "several majors factors which have affected transatlantic relations in recent years, such as the end of the Cold War, the recent advancements in communications technology, the integration of Europe and the growth and strength of the European Union, the increased threat posed by global terrorism, particularly the events of September 11, 2001 and, transatlantic and global differences concerning the United States invasion in Iraq." Ambassador Brenda Brown Schoonover is a retired Foreign Service officer. Her last assignment was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy in Brussels and Chargé d'Affaires ad interim during her last year there. Fulltext
F2 - Of Power and Providence: The old U.S. and the New EU
Hendrickson, David C.
Policy Review, Feb/March 2006, #135, pp23-42
"The historian of the early American federal union recognizes an immediate affinity between America’s founding and the contemporary European project. Both are instances of an attempt to create a federative system, to ensure and perpetuate a basis for cooperation among independent republics in a political milieu in which multiple loyalties, identities, and interests and the centrifugal forces they produce are the commanding political fact. Such a union must guard against the rival dangers of international anarchy and despotic centralization both within itself and within the larger society of states. [...] There are signal differences, of course, between the old U.S. and the new eu. But the comparison I wish to draw does not rest upon any kind of essential identity in institutions [...] rather upon the fundamental similarity in the problem they confronted and the aspirations they entertained." David C. Hendrickson is professor of political science at Colorado College and a member of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy. He is the author of Peace Pact: The Lost World of the American Founding (University Press of Kansas, 2003). An earlier draft of this paper was presented at a conference on the European Constitution at the University of Luxembourg in February 2005. Fulltext
F3 - Muslims in America - and Europe
Benjamin, Daniel; Simon, Steven
The Globalist, February 22, 2006, online edition
”The United States and its Muslim community and Muslim communities in Europe differ significantly. In Europe, Muslims tend to be isolated, while American Muslim communities are more likely to be integrated into society, argue Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon […] They warn, however, that there are ominous signs pointing to a radicalization among Muslim youth in the United States.” Daniel Benjamin is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. Steven Simon teaches at Georgetown University. Fulltext
F4 - The Great EU Inquisition: Europe's Response To The U.S. Rendition Policy
Gardiner, Nile and Carafano, James Jay
The Heritage Foundation Webmemo #988, February 6, 2006, online edition
“We do not have a war against terror.” This extraordinary statement by a senior European Union (EU) official reflects the divide between Washington and Europe’s leading political institutions over the fight against al-Qaeda. Despite three major terrorist attacks on European soil in the past three years (in London, Madrid, and Istanbul), many top European officials still do not grasp the magnitude of the terrorist threat. Instead, they are engaged in a campaign of pandering and grandstanding to delegitimize U.S. counter-terrorism efforts, especially the policy of rendition." Nile Gardiner, is the Bernard and Barbara Lomas Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security in the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Fulltext
F5 - The Transatlantic Divide Over Democracy Promotion
Kopstein, Jeffrey
The Washington Quarterly, Spring 2006, v29, #2, pp85-98
”Potential disagreement exists between Europe and the United States over how, not whether, to promote democracy. Will democracy promotion become yet another new source of transatlantic tension, or is it an area in which they can work together? [...]Democracy promotion need not become a new source of transatlantic tension if both sides are willing to draw on the other’s strengths and experiences. ” Jeffrey Kopstein is Director of the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the Munk Centre for International Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Toronto. Fulltext
F6 - An Odd Couple
Gedmin, Jeffrey
The American Spectator, March 2006, v32, #2, pp54-55
"Germany and France have more than economic stagnation in common. Both face a serious demographic crisis, although in France there are slight signs of a reversal. Both have been frustrated that, at the very moment Paris and Berlin were set to lead the new Europe, the European Union expanded and thus diluted the power of the Franco-German idea. Both Germany and France fret a lot about American hegemony ..." Jeffrey Gedmin is Director of the Aspen Institute Berlin. Fulltext
F7 - Irrelevant or Indispensable? ESDP, the 'War on Terror' and the Fallout from Iraq
Shepherd, Alistair
International Politics, February 2006, vol. 43, no. 1, pp.
71-92
“In May 2003 the European Union declared its European Security and Defence Policy fully operational. Simultaneously the EU appeared terminally divided over the conflict in Iraq and transatlantic divisions were emerging over the conduct of the 'War on Terror'. Given the already contentious nature of ESDP, this paper explores whether post-September 11 developments will undermine the development of this policy. After analyzing the status of ESDP the paper explores its utility in the post September 11 era and in light of the European Security Strategy. While, in European eyes, military force is not particularly applicable to the 'War on Terror', this paper will argue that there are a number of other ways in which an enhanced and redefined European military capacity can play a role in promoting stability and upholding international norms and values. Secondly, as security priorities change the internal and external security aspects of EU need to become more integrated. Ultimately, a clearly defined ESDP with the unwavering commitment of the member states will give the EU a constructive, effective and essential role within the new framework of security.” Alistair Shepherd is affiliated with the Department of International Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Penglais Campus. Fulltext
F8 - The Future of Decadent Europe
Judt, Tony
Brookings Institution, U.S.-Europe Analysis Series, February 2006, 5p.
“The conventional wisdom holds that Europe today is economically or socially dysfunctional. In this view, Europe, with its long vacations and generous pensions, is in many ways a better place to live than the United States, but that can not last. Even if the European social model is desirable, it is unrealistic and sooner or later, doomed. This assertion of Europe's doom derives from the association of technological change and globalization with inevitability or necessity. The protected economies of Europe that we have grown so used to will no longer be possible—like it or not this change is going to be upon us. We can see the future because we can see the shape of the economic present. History, however, provides some caution on that subject.” Tony Judt is Professor at New York University. Fulltext
F9 - NATO and Energy Security
Gallis, Paul
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress, RS21556, March 21, 2006, 6p.
“Energy security is becoming an issue of increasing importance to the United States and its European allies, as some energy producers are showing a tendency to use oil and gas as political leverage. Although most European allies believe that a market solution exists to ensure security of energy supplies, NATO has begun to discuss the issue as an allied concern.” Paul Gallis is a Specialist in European Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. Fulltext
F10 - Next Step for NATO
Asmus, Ronald D.; Holbrooke, Richard
Washington Post, March 14, 2006, p. A19
“NATO now must decide whether to begin what we would call the third phase of its history. Phase I was the creation of the alliance in the late 1940s, and the Cold War itself; Phase II was the enlarging and reorganizing of NATO in the post-Cold War 1990s, and dealing with Bosnia and Kosovo. Phase III poses a fundamental question: Should NATO play a role in dealing with problems outside its historical "space"?.” Ronald D. Asmus is executive director of the German Marshall Fund's Transatlantic Center in Brussels. Richard Holbrooke is a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Fulltext
F11 - Transatlantic Transformation: Building a NATO-EU Security Architecture
Lodal, Jan M. et al.
The Atlantic Council of the United States, Policy Paper, March 2006, 51 p
“NATO and the EU must build new military structures that create the capacity for NATO and the EU to plan and rehearse combined operations. … political consultation mechanisms must be revised to accommodate more fully the roles played by both NATO and the EU, while continuing to respect the sovereignty of member states. This revised transatlantic security architecture must be able to protect Europe and the United States within their borders, but it must also address the global nature of threats we all now face. It should be capable of bringing to bear traditional military war-fighting resources, but also of addressing a wide array of stabilization and reconstruction requirements.” Jan M. Lodal is president of the Atlantic Council of the United States. Fulltext
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