Transatlantic Relations: Past, Present, and Future. College of Europe Policy Brief #7.November 2019

O’Sullivan, David (2019) Transatlantic Relations: Past, Present, and Future. College of Europe Policy Brief #7.November 2019. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

> The United States and Europe have a rich history of cooperation which played a fundamental role in the establishment of the post-World War II international order with its tissue of multilateral structures that helped to generate an unprecedented period of peace and stability in the world. > The new millennium posed a number of difficult challenges to the partners with 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, financial crisis and a global recession that exploded confidence in financial institutions, economic policy and, ultimately, political institutions, the effects of which are still felt today. > However, it was the election of President Trump in 2016 that led to the most sustained divergence across the entire spectrum of relations: from defence and security to climate change and trade. It has also exposed the structural features of a divide which pose a more fundamental threat to the longterm future of the transatlantic alliance. > The present drift towards disconnection can only be overcome by ensuring that common ground is found and that all parties are comfortable with the balance of rights and responsibilities. The European Union could play a leading role in reinventing the transatlantic relationship for the next generation by seeking to achieve a reinvigorated transatlantic partnership with the United States covering, in particular, security, trade, and common approaches to the emergence of a new global order.

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