The United States and Europe: Current Issues

Abstract

Due to extensive cooperation on a wide range of issues, the relationship between the United States and Europe is often called the transatlantic partnership. In many areas, the two sides share common values and overlapping interests, and have grown increasingly interdependent in terms of security and prosperity. The majority of Europeans warmly welcomed President Barack Obama to office, and his popularity suggested opportunities for the United States and Europe to address the common set of global challenges they face. In dealing with this difficult agenda, however, observers note that the constructive tone of the relationship does not necessarily translate into tangible foreign policy results. Overall, transatlantic cooperation is strong on many key issues, but some concerns and points of tension also persist. As the United States and Europe deal with changing geopolitical realities, some new anxieties are surfacing about the future of the transatlantic partnership. The list of issues representing significant areas of shared interest is long. This report selects five major issues to illustrate the nature of the transatlantic relationship and cooperation: Despite the substantially increased commitment of troops and resources during 2009-2010, the likely outcome of the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan is a subject of debate. Afghanistan continues to pose a test of alliance cohesion, and Europe's commitment to maintaining its participation will be an important tone setter in transatlantic relations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 08, 2010
Accession Number
ADA536029

Entities

People

  • Derek E. Mix

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Business Administration
  • Climate Change
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Economic Models
  • European Union
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • International Relations
  • Investments
  • Law
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • United States

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design