The Atlantic Alliance Under Stress: US-European Relations after Iraq

Can the political institutions of the transatlantic alliance endure the demise of the Soviet enemy? Did the Iraq crisis of 2002–3 signal the final demise of the Atlantic partnership? If so, what are the likely consequences? In this book a distinguished group of political scientists and historians from Europe and the United States tackle these questions. The book examines the causes and consequences of the crisis in Atlantic relations that accompanied the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The authors’ collective focus is not on the war itself, or how it was conducted, or even the situation in Iraq either before or after the conflict. Instead, the crisis over Iraq is the starting point for an examination of transatlantic relations and specifically the Atlantic alliance, an examination that is cross-national in scope and multi-disciplinary in approach.

• Examines the causes and consequences of the crisis in Atlantic relations that accompanied the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 • The volume is cross-national in scope and multi-disciplinary in approach • Contributors are leading names in the field from both sides of the Atlantic

Contents

Preface; Introduction; Part I. The Iraq War and the Atlantic Alliance: 1. Towards transatlantic drift? Geir Lundestad; 2. The dynamics of the feud over Iraq Elizabeth Pond; 3. The United States and its Atlantic partners David M. Andrews; Part II. National Policies within the Alliance: 4. US politics and transatlantic relations: we are all Europeans now Miles Kahler; 5. Three rifts, two reconciliations: Franco-American relations during the Fifth Republic Georges-Henri Soutou; 6. Security exporters: Germany, the United States and transatlantic cooperation Hubert Zimmermann; 7. A bridge too far: the United Kingdom and the transatlantic relationship William Wallace and Tim Oliver; 8. The richest and farthest master is always best: US-Italian relations in historical perspective Leopoldo Nuti; Part III. Prospects for the Alliance: 9. The Iraq crisis and the future of the Western Alliance Marc Trachtenberg; 10. Military competence or policy loyalty: Central Europe and transatlantic relations Wade Jacoby; 11. Is Atlanticism dead? David M. Andrews; References.

Reviews

\'Of all the volumes devoted to the U.S.-European crisis over Iraq, this one, the result of a series of seminars at the European University Institute in 2002, is probably the most balanced and probing. Most of the authors deal not only with the \'blowup\' of 2002–2003 but also with earlier tensions and trends, adding depth to their treatment of the crisis itself.\' Foreign Affairs

\'This volume does more than scratch the surface of a highly politicized transatlantic debate. It goes beyond the controversies of the moment and instead focuses on enduring questions … David Andrews has assembled a number of eminent scholars and seasoned observers of the transatlantic relationship from both sides of the Atlantic … In sum, this is an excellent collection of articles that is likely to stay the course of time. It offers a valuable array of perspectives and should be compulsory reading for scholars, students and the wider public interested in the recent development and the future of the Atlantic alliance.\' International Affairs