Old Europe, New Europe And The Transatlantic Security Agenda

When the United States launched its war on terrorism, divergent perspectives on security emerged within the Atlantic community, prompting the articulation of the term 'Old' and 'New' Europe by the US Secretary for Defense. This notion brought in to focus, albeit rather crudely, the differences between European states in their approaches to the use of force, whilst at the same time it helped expose a discrepancy between US and European standpoints, a factor leading many to forecast the end of the transatlantic relationship as we know it. The perspectives of East Central European states, which were, without exception supportive of the US-led campaign contrasted with many West European states, but especially France and Germany, and was an interesting upshot of the war in Iraq, with important, but as yet unseen, long term consequences. The post-September 11th security policies of Poland, the UK, France, the US and Germany presented in this book illustrate how and why the Atlantic community ruptured overIraq, a result in part, it is argued, of the existence of particular national strategic cultures. Whilst the longer term effects of Iraq for the transatlantic security agenda have yet to fully transpire, what is certain is that the EU's ambitions to become a credible security actor have been seriously questioned, as has the notion of multilateralism as an international norm, as has the function of international law. The book addresses these issues in its final section by considering the evolution of the EU's role in the world and the development of American perspectives on the transatlantic security agenda.