The Iraq conflict ignited transatlantic tensions smoldering since the
end of the Cold War. Although politicians in both Europe and America
profess to regret the obvious split within the once-sturdy Atlantic
Alliance, the United States and its people clearly perceive their
security needs very differently than do most of Europe's governments
and all of its populations. NATO is not the solution to this split;
it is the heart of the problem. The continuing existence of this Cold
War relic stands in the way of the necessary evolution of European
integration to include full responsibility for Continental security.
In the 21st century, Europe can neither become a responsible power
center nor a competent partner for the United States so long as
Europeans remain dependent on a non-European power for their
security--or even for the appearance of their security.
A Transatlantic Watershed
What A.J.P. Taylor called "the struggle for mastery in Europe" is
over, replaced by the slow construction of the "Common European
House." Europe today faces no external military threat, but many
dangers in other fields. This is, by the destructive standards of
European history, a uniquely blessed set of circumstances. Nor does
the United States exercise a dominant role in European
affairs--despite the overheated rhetoric about American
"imperialism", "hegemony" or "hyperpower" status. The ability of
European governments to thwart Washington's agenda on Iraq in the
United Nations, and the inability of American diplomacy to open doors
in Brussels for genetically-modified agricultural products, helps to
demonstrate that Europe retains its freedom of action when and where
it chooses to exercise that freedom. Sadly, and without
justification, Europe remains willfully subservient to the United
States in the security realm.
