September 28, 2022

Future-Proofing Transatlantic Relations (II): Taking Advantage of the 2023 Window of Opportunity

By: Carisa Nietsche

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.

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