Why do the US, the UK, France and Germany have such divergent views on European security?
The answer can be found in the youngest publication of the Netherlands Atlantic Association:
(Dis)Organising European Security
The Iraq Controversy and Patterns in US-European Relations
by
Arnout Molenaar
Arnout Molenaar is a historian and works for the Dutch Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.
Molenaar takes the Iraq crisis of 2002 and 2003 as a starting point for his study. During that crisis the differences between the four countries surfaced most clearly. However, he also delves into the historical motives and patterns that underlie both the crisis and the divergent approaches to security.
The transatlantic damage that resulted from the Iraq crisis has largely been repaired, but some important questions remain:
- What are the limits, benefits and liabilities of the United States’ preponderance in world affairs?
- How to European powers aim to influence US decision-making?
- How does the overwhelming power of the US influence the Atlantic Alliance?
- How can Atlantic cooperation and European integration be reconciled?
All these questions are addressed in this well-documented, and very readable account.
You can order the book here. The book costs € 15 (excl. postage and handling when shipped outside of the Netherlands).
