Abstract
It is believed in some quarters that the transatlantic relationship has never endured a more trying decade than the last, and yet the ‘Obama effect’ seems to have resurrected it from beyond the ‘tipping point’. Can we conclude then that the crisis was not as damaging as feared? Or are we erroneously subscribing to inflated expectations of America's ability to change in the age of Obama? Without a reliable measure of what constitutes an exceedingly good or bad period in the relationship, any narrative that tells us we have ventured into the extreme seems inconclusive. America and Europe need each other, and contrary to far-reaching theories of demise or rebirth, this vital relationship will evolve not on the fringes but instead in moderation and into something more complete.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
‘The Atlantic Gap’, Economist, 1 October 2009.
References
Cox, M. (2005) ‘Beyond the west: Terrors in transatlantia’, European Journal of International Relations 11 (2): 203–233.
Cox, M. (2006) ‘The transatlantic crisis: The wolf is at the door’, European Political Science 5: 34–40.
De Vasconcelos, A. (2009) ‘Responding to the Obama Moment: The EU and US in a Multipolar World’, in Á. de Vasconcelos and M. Zaborowski (eds.) The Obama Moment: European and American Perspectives, Paris: European Union Institute for Security Studies, pp. 11–24.
German Marshall Fund of the United States and Compagnia di Sao Paolo (2009) Transatlantic Trends 2009, http://www.transatlantictrends.org, accessed 24 October 2009.
Hermann, M. and Hagan, J. (1998) ‘International decision making: Leadership matters’, Foreign Policy 110: 124–137.
Ikenberry, G.J. (2000) After Victory, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Kagan, R. (2003) Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order, New York: Vintage Books.
Krauthammer, C. (2008) ‘The audacity of vanity’, The Washington Post, 18 July.
Lundestad, G. (2005) ‘Towards Transatlantic Drift?’, in D.M. Andrews (ed.) The Atlantic Alliance under Stress: US-European Relations after Iraq, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 9–29.
Peterson, J. (2006) ‘Is the wolf at the door this time? Transatlantic relations after Iraq’, European Political Science 5: 52–61.
Pew Global Attitudes Project. (2009) Confidence in Obama Lifts U.S. Image around the World, Washington, DC: The Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press.
Pollack, M. and Shaffer, G. (2006) ‘Transatlantic economic relations: Continuity amid discord’, European Political Science 5: 62–68.
Wallace, W. (2008) ‘Leadership or Partnership? Can Transatlantic Leadership Be Shared?’, in G. Lundestad (ed.) Just Another Major Crisis? The United States and Europe Since 2000, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, pp. 159–181.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kelley, J. Keep Calm and Carry on: Appraising the Transatlantic Relationship from Iraq to Obama. Eur Polit Sci 10, 20–26 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2010.70
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2010.70