Strategic Insights, Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2004, Europe, America and the War on Terror
Abstract
The Iraq War and its aftermath has found the United States profoundly at odds with some of its European allies, led by France and Germany, over the nature of the terrorist threat and the best way to fight it. The Spanish elections, concurrent with opinion polls that find European opinion profoundly suspicious of the Bush administration's motives in pursuing the global war on terror, have, in the view of some, "clearly weakened greatly the centrality of the transatlantic link" in the foreign policies of Europe and the United States.% The current unpleasantness is viewed as symptomatic of a growing divergence of outlook and temperament between Europe and America.%%% However, a longer perspective might indicate otherwise, that disputes among the Western allies are an old story, and conflict within cooperation remains the usual pattern of trans- Atlantic relations. Indeed, despite the outcome of the Spanish election, the inter-allied crisis ignited by the Iraq War appears to be subsiding, because the aftermath of that conflict has reminded Washington of the limits of military power, while Europe understands that American presence is a requirement for its stability. Indeed, the reaction of Spanish voters to the Madrid bombings expressed through the ballot box hopefully serve to remind one of the benefits of reaffirming the West's strategic partnership. The current differences between the United States and "old Europe" revealed fundamental divergences over strategic approaches to the terrorist threat.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA485208
Entities
People
- Douglas Porch
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School