September 28, 2022
Future-Proofing Transatlantic Relations (II): Taking Advantage of the 2023 Window of Opportunity
The United States’ policy and approach to Europe has done a 180 in the past few years. During the Trump administration, the relationship was mired by challenges and struggles. Not only did the usual sources of tensions exist—the decades-long Boeing-Airbus dispute, disagreements over data privacy, and the call for NATO allies to contribute their fair share to security and defense—but the Trump administration oftentimes outright beat up on allies. Most egregiously, the administration called the European Union a “foe” and imposed Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs on Europe.
The time to lock in progress in the transatlantic relationship is now.
However, the tides have turned under Joe Biden’s leadership. At the start of his presidency, calls to European allies were one of Biden’s first stops, only following calls to the US’ northern and southern neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Biden’s commitment to the transatlantic relationship has many analysts touting him as the most transatlantic US president in recent memory. While actions have not always lived up to rhetoric, the Biden administration’s tone and tenor toward Europe enabled the relationship to focus on an affirmative agenda for democracies, rather than solely focusing on irritants in the transatlantic relationship.
Read the full article from Internationale Politik Quarterly.
More from CNAS
-
The Return of Diplomacy to Great Power Competition
Podcast
On the surface, great power competition often seems driven by economic and military conflict, but diplomacy has always been central to great powers' engagement with the world....
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
What’s Driving President Trump’s New Confidence in Ukraine’s War Effort
Podcast
President Trump dramatically declared on social media that he now believes that Ukraine can reclaim all its land from Russia, which he described as a paper tiger. From the Ova...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Moldova Chooses Its Future with William Hill and Laura Thornton
Podcast
On September 28th, Moldovan voters went to the polls in parliamentary elections to choose between competing visions for their country's future. Despite intense efforts by the ...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
Europe Must Counter Cheap Drones with Cheap Solutions, Ex-NATO Commander Says
Video
NATO must find cheaper ways to counter the growing threat of Russian drone incursions, the former Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, Gen. Philip Breedlove, has said. Speakin...
By General Philip M. Breedlove
