University:
University of Wyoming
Course:
POLS4215 | European Union
Academic year:

2023
Views:

217

Pages:

1
Author:

Allison B.

This week, we read and discussed the relationship that exists between the United States and Europe/European Union. Tenuous at times, but never in genuine danger, this transatlantic alliance accounts for 33% of global trade and is the most effective partnership in creating substantial global change. Through the countries’ shared values of freedom/democracy, security, and development; the EU and US can work together to develop international standards with an influence on the rest of the world that is unprecedented. With this in mind: - Do the US and Europe/EU meet this lofty ideal in action or just in name? If in action, name a prominent example of collaboration creating substantial change. A common argument in Kagan and Wallace/Zielonka, along with our lecture, is the double standards that can exist for both the US’s expectations of other nations, and the EU’s expectations for the United States. Examples of the US’s hypocritical actions could be the lack of a signature on the United Nations International Criminal Court or the establishment of advanced interrogation centers, such as Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. On Europe’s own hypocrisy for the US, at times they are critical of the use of hard power and military strength, but then in situations such as Kosovo and Bosnia in the 1990s, a reliance on NATO and American forces was evident in order to address security concerns. Double standards exist on both sides of the Atlantic. That being said: - Does the United States, as Kagan suggests, have the right to act outside of the rule book or “adapt to the laws of the jungle” and how does this impact the US’s relationship with the EU? An additional question for consideration: - The United States and the EU have a cyclical relationship of sorts with the United States, public support and transatlantic cooperation differing with Presidential administrations. Does this change in administration bolster the relationship, or is it slowly eroding the alliance over time? Do the benefits of being allied with a global power whose foreign policy drastically changes every four to eight years outweigh the risks? What are the risks of a lack of hard power.