The Future of the Transatlantic Security Relationship

Though security cooperation between Europe and the United States remains unique among geopolitical partners, burgeoning challenges like the Iraq War and War on Terror threaten to uproot the relationship. The individual needs of each society and differing strategic cultures complicate the alliance. Distinctive geographic conditions, perceptions of a proper role in world security, demographic changes, attitudes toward violent solutions to threats of violence, and capabilities of maintaining an indigenous military necessitate compromise and patience when addressing security challenges. By analyzing the challenges within the framework of the individual strategic cultures, several future scenarios for the transatlantic security relationship become evident, making future options for state policy easier to derive. The existing tensions regarding the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan stem from particular differences in strategic cultures, but the general level of integration and the symbiotic nature of the transatlantic alliance indicate that despite the temporary acrimony between members, the security relationship will continue to prosper in the future as long as progress and flexibility remain key features of the partnership\u27s foundation