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THE FUTURE OF TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS

Stanford University Press

Contents

Preface............................................................................................................................................viiNotes on Contributors..............................................................................................................................ixIntroduction Andrew M. Dorman and Joyce P. Kaufman................................................................................................11 Transatlantic Relations: A Theoretical Framework Serena Simoni..................................................................................162 The Future of Trans-Atlantic Relations: A View from Canada David Rudd...........................................................................333 The United States and the Transatlantic Relationship: A Test for U.S. Foreign and National Security Policy Joyce P. Kaufman.....................564 Transatlantic Relations: The United Kingdom Andrew M. Dorman....................................................................................785 France and Transatlantic Relations Adrian Treacher..............................................................................................956 Germany: From Civilian Power to International Actor Gale A. Mattox..............................................................................1137 Turkey and the US: A Transatlantic Future? Bill Park............................................................................................1378 The Transatlantic Relationship: Poland and the United States Anna Zielinska......................................................................1559 Russian Views on the Future of Transatlantic Relations Alex Marshall............................................................................17410 Transatlantic Relations: A View from Ukraine Deborah Sanders...................................................................................19111 Georgia and the Transatlantic Relationship: The New Kid on the Block Tracey C. German..........................................................211Conclusions: Reflections on the Future of Transatlantic Relations Andrew M. Dorman and Joyce P. Kaufman...........................................232Glossary...........................................................................................................................................239Notes..............................................................................................................................................243Selected Bibliography..............................................................................................................................299Index..............................................................................................................................................313

Chapter One

Introduction

For many years international relations practitioners and policy-makers on both sides of the Atlantic have tended to dismiss potentially poisonous crises in transatlantic relations (e.g., the Suez crisis, the Gaullist challenge, criticism of the Vietnam War, the clashes caused by Reagan's policies of the early 1980s) that could lead to a significant change in transatlantic relations. These disagreements were considered "little family spats", rather than indicating a major or long-term problem. For, as the Latin locution goes, ubi maior minor cessat.

Indeed, during the Cold War, the Euro-Atlantic partnership seemed almost unbreakable; as long as the US and Europe had a common enemy in the USSR, it was generally assumed that their alliance would endure. The East-West rivalry did not seem to offer any other alternative for America and Europe but that of collaboration to counter the Soviet Union. As it was initially conceived, this relationship was predominantly focused on the military dimension, but it soon broadened to include economic and political elements where differences were resolved and discrepancies settled.

However, with the disappearance of the Soviet threat, this once-strong partnership had its foundations shaken. The consequences of the removal of the Soviet threat for the future of transatlantic relations have been much debated amongst practitioners and scholars in the light of changing priorities and the loss of the Cold War "glue". The nature and dynamic of this evolving debate were epitomized by the US's decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and the open opposition of Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg to that decision, as well as the opposition of public opinion in the United Kingdom and Italy, two Western European governments that did accommodate the Bush doctrine.

The invasion of Iraq magnified concerns over the future of the Atlantic community. America appeared to be out of sync with its Western European partners, and major divisions amongst the Europeans seemed to further reiterate the possibility of transatlantic separation. Was the conflict over Iraq the validation of John Mearsheimer's argument that the absence of a common threat would lead the US to withdraw from Europe, and that, as a result, Europe would return to power politics? Or was it just another "family spat," leaving unaltered the prospect of continued transatlantic cooperation, even in the absence of a common threat?

This chapter examines the growing body of literature focusing on the policy disputes between the United States and Europe and constitutes an attempt to clarify, synthesize and rationalize the central argumentative positions taken in the debate on the future of the transatlantic relations. It does so by offering an overview of how studies concerning transatlantic relations are framed and by identifying the underlying assumptions of such positions. Rather than setting forth any set of specific hypothesis to be tested, this chapter constitutes the analytical framework that synthesizes the various approaches to thinking and writing about transatlantic relations and serves as a foundation for the analysis that follows in the book. Moreover, countering those scholars who tend to consider Atlantic relations as less theoretical, this chapter puts forward the argument that indeed there is no shortage of theoretical vibrancy in the study of the relationship between the US and Europe. To that extent, the chapter also argues that the theories used, mainly neorealism and neo-liberalism, are less equipped than others such as constructivism to account for an ever-evolving transatlantic relationship. Accordingly, this chapter is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the primary analytical frameworks that have been used to inscribe and transcribe transatlantic relations, neo-realism and neo-liberalism, and shows what each of those theoretical accounts expect with regard to transatlantic relations, given the end of the Cold War. Part two then offers a comparison of the contending Neo-Realist and Neo-Liberal arguments. Finally, part three draws upon the shortcomings of the neo-realist and neo-liberal arguments, to reflect on the usefulness of other theories such as constructivism to explain the development of transatlantic relations.

The Debate: Neo-Realist Account

In the two decades since the end of the Cold War, the debate on the likely future of...