Transatlantic relations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about wider trans-atlantic relations. For US-EU bilateral relations, see Euro-American relations.
Transatlantic relations refers to the historic, cultural, political, economic and social relations between countries on both side of the Atlantic Ocean, specifically between the United States, Canada and the countries in Europe.
There are a number of issues over which the United States and Europe generally disagree. Some of these are cultural, such as the U.S. use of death penalty, some are international issues such as the Middle East peace process, and many others are trade related. The current U.S. policies are often described as being unilateral in nature, whereas the European Union and Canada often take a more multilateral approach, relying more on the United Nations and other international institutions to help solve issues. Of course, there are many other issues upon which they do agree.
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[edit] Definition
[edit] Anglo-American relations
This special triangular relationship has been largely facilitated by the cooperation of the Atlanticist countries, the U.S., Britain, and Canada during the Second World War. Through multilateral institutions like the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) , this relationship has grown in number and strength to include most European countries.
- See also: Special relationship
[edit] North Transatlantic relations
The European Union (EU) often has no common position and the views of individual European countries can differ enormously. France and Germany are the most often cited as opponents of U.S. policy, whereas the United Kingdom in particular, but also Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the newest members of the EU have adopted similar policies to the U.S. Canada tends to favour a multilateral approach to international affairs and so although unsupportive of some American actions, still maintains an extremely close relationship with its southern neighbour because of the intense economic relationship between the two (see NAFTA).
For Canadian policy makers, the greatest challenge in the transatlantic relationship is keeping Canada's relevancy in it so the triangle does not become a barbell, solely between the US on one side and the Europeans on the other. In fact, many academics on both sides of the Atlantic often wrongfully cite transatlantic relations as such.
- See also: Franco-American relations , German-American relations , Canada-France relations , Swedish-American relations , Euro-American relations , Old Europe , and New Europe
[edit] The Atlantic World
In a wider sense transatlantic relations also include Latin America and even Africa. This is due to the influence of African-Americans in the United States and the significant Black community in the UK - also in relation to the Ancient Greek world.
[edit] History
[edit] Background
[edit] Issues of contention
Transatlantic relations recently have been characterised as strained, especially due to divergent positions on the Iraq war which prominent European nations, including France and Germany (dubbed Old Europe by Donald Rumsfeld) opposed. Another major issue is reducing pollution with the Kyoto protocol, which the whole European Union and Canada support and the United States opposes. Nevertheless, there are many cultural, economic, political and military ties between the two areas.
[edit] Arms embargo on the People's Republic of China
Both the United States and the European Union as of 2005 have an arms embargo against China (PRC), put in place in 1989 after the events of Tiananmen Square. The U.S. and some EU members continue to support the ban but others, spearheaded by France have been attempting to persuade the EU to lift the ban, arguing that more effective measures can be imposed, but also to improve trade relations between China and certain EU states. The U.S. strongly opposes this, and after China (PRC) passed an anti-secession law against Taiwan the likelihood of the ban being lifted diminished somewhat.
[edit] Boeing and Airbus subsidies
The two companies are the major competing aircraft manufacturers, and both Boeing and Airbus are accused of receiving forms of subsidy from the United States[1] and from some of the European Union member states respectively, which both sides have criticised each other for doing. The pressure for this issue to be resolved has increased as Airbus and Boeing are now nearly equal in commercial aircraft market share.
[edit] Death penalty
In the United States, capital punishment is a legal and widely used form of punishment, whereas all European Union member states have abolished the death penalty fully (excluding Latvia which has retained it for exceptional circumstances only). Indeed, nearly all European states no longer use the death penalty. This causes problems with transatlantic relations because it may be illegal for an EU member to allow the extradition of a citizen to the U.S. if the death penalty is an option.
[edit] International Criminal Court
The U.S. is strongly opposed to the ICC, and has not signed up to it, though most states in Europe have. The U.S. fears that it's soldiers may be subject to politically motivated prosecutions, so much so that it has signed many bilateral agreements with other countries in an attempt to avoid this.
[edit] Arab-Israeli conflict
Both sides of the Atlantic usually act more or less in tandem, in regard to the approach to the Palestinian territories as well as other issues (such as the recent conflict in Lebanon). However, in general, the European Union is often more critical of Israel, particularly in issues of policy (such as the West Bank barrier). The U.S. has historically been a much more supportive ally, going so far as to even use its veto at the United Nations Security Council in Israel's support.
[edit] Iran and weapons of mass destruction
The United States has been taking a hard line on the question of Iranian nuclear weapons, not ruling out military action. On the other hand, Europe, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have attempted to engage in dialogue with Iran. Former UK Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, described military action against Iran as "inconceivable".1
[edit] Iraq war
The war on Iraq not only divided opinions within European nations and within the U.S., but between European nations themselves, with some states supporting of military action, and some against. This caused a major transatlantic rift, especially between France and Germany on the one hand, who were against military action, and the United States and the UK on the other hand, strongly in favour. The repercussions of this major dividing issue have still not healed fully.
[edit] Kyoto protocol
The European Union is one of the main backers of the Kyoto protocol, which aims to combat global warming, while the United States is one of its most prominent opponents.
[edit] Resolved issues
[edit] U.S. steel tariffs
In 2002, the U.S. imposed steel tariffs to protect its steel industry. The European Union and other countries took up the issue with the WTO, which ruled that such tariffs breach its regulations. Subsequently, by December 2003, the tariffs had been lifted by the U.S. administration.
[edit] Possible issues
[edit] Secret CIA Prisons
The Washington Post claimed on November 2, 2005 that the USA has several secret jails in Eastern Europe (also called black sites). Poland and Romania however have denied these allegations. Also, CIA planes carrying terror suspects would have made secret stopovers in several West European countries since 2001. Belgium, Iceland, Spain, and Sweden have launched investigations. The Guardian calculated on November 30 that CIA planes landed about 300 times on European air ports. Most planes would have landed in Germany and the United Kingdom as a transit point to East Europe, North Africa (possibly Morocco and Egypt) or the Middle East (possibly Syria and Jordan). In the meanwhile, the European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, asked the US for a clarification. The EU has refused to confirm or deny the reports. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- . BBC News: US attack on Iran 'inconceivable'
- . A stronger EU-US Partnership and a more open market for the 21st century
- . Atlantic Council of the U.S.: Transatlantic Cooperation Against Terrorism
- . Atlantic Council publications on transatlantic economics, security, and politics
- . R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, called on the U.S. and Europe to embrace common purpose around an ambitious global agenda that would redefine its mission for the 21st Century.
