Iraq, Diplomacy, Middle Eastern, National, National & International Security, Specialty Boutique, Middle East, Federal Government 

From the 1956 Suez crisis to the disputes over US military intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s, the history of the post-world War II American-European alliance is one of nearly continuous diplomatic crisis. Yet, no matter how deep the divisions or bitter the dispute, in the end, the allies always found ways to rise above their differences and preserve the integrity on the alliance that by the late 1990s, had become the most successful in world history. on the alliance that by the late 1990s, had become the most successful in world history. on the alliance that by the late 1990s, had become the most successful in world history.The diplomatic wrangling over the war in Iraq produced the worst transatlantic crisis in nearly fifty years, and for the first time leaders in both in United States and Europe are seriously questioning the viability and indeed, even the value of the alliance. But is this latest crisis really so different from all those that came before it? Is it, as some contend, the culmination of an investable process dissolution that began with the end of the cold war and become clear after 9/11? Is the fragile US-European alliance and the world order it supports coming unraveled?
In Allies at War, distinguished Brookings analysis Philip Gordon and Jeremy Shapiro provide answer to these and other critical questions about the current crisis in US-European relations and its implication for the future.
To help put the current crisis into content the authors trace the evolution of American-European relation since world war II. They describe how deep ideological differences that emerged at the end of the Cold War and disputes over the Balkans, Iran and Iraq during the Clinton years already had some analysis questions if the alliance would survive. They explain how the Bush administration’s “cowboy diplomacy” helped bring already simmering tensions to aboil. And they provide a detailed, inside account of the event leading up to the Iraq crisis, describing how a series of disastrous diplomatic misstep turned a legitimate disagreement over how to deal with a rogue regime into a crisis that threatened the alliances very existent.
Finally in response to those who would say good riddance to an alliance that has given the West fifty years of unprecedented economic and political stability, the authors explain why continued US-European cooperation is essential to global security and prosperity in an age of terrorism and globalization, they argue. No country or continent, no matter how strong, can stand along. Allies at war offers concrete prescriptions mending the rifts that have opened in our relationship and cementing an even stronger alliance one strong enough to weather the challenges of a post-9/11 world.



 

A thorough analysis of where U.S./European relations have gone wrong--and how to set them right ALLIES AT WAR is the first and most comprehensive assessment of what went wrong between America and Europe during the crisis over Iraq and is based on extensive interviews with policymakers in the United States and Europe. It puts the crisis over Iraq in historical context by examining US-Europe relations since World War II and shows how the alliance traditionally managed to overcome its many internal difficulties and crises. It describes how the deep strategic differences that emerged at the end of the Cold War and the disputes over the Balkans and the Middle East during the Clinton years already had some analysts questioning whether the Alliance could survive. It shows how the Bush administration’s unilateral diplomacy and world-view helped bring already simmering tensions to a boil, and describes in depth the events leading up to the Iraq crisis of 2003. Gordon and Shapiro explain how powerful forces such rising American power and the September 11 terrorist attacks have made relations between America and Europe increasingly difficult. But the authors argue that the split over Iraq was not inevitable: it was the result of misguided decisions and unnecessary provocations on both sides. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that claims that the Iraq war signaled the effective end of the Atlantic Alliance, the authors warn that assuming the end of the Alliance could quickly become a self-fulfilling prophesy: leaving the United States isolated, resented, and responsible for bearing the burdens of maintaining international security largely alone. In response to those who argue that the Atlantic Alliance is no longer viable or necessary, ALLIES AT WAR demonstrates that even after Iraq, the United States and Europe can work together, and indeed must if they wish to effectively address the most pressing problems of our age. The book makes concrete proposals for restoring transatlantic relations and updating the alliance to meet new challenges like global terrorism and the transformation of an unstable Middle East. - from Amzon 

CONTENT
- Introduction.............................................................................P.1
- part 1: the Alliance before Iraq

- Chapter 1: From Cold War to Clinton...........................................P. 19
- Chapter 2: Bush and Europe:the Growing Divine...........................p. 47

- Part II the Iraq Crisis

- Chapter 3: The Source of Disagreement P. 75
- Chapter 4: Toward Crisis P.93
- Chapter 5: The Transatlantic Spilt P. 115
- Chapter 6: The Vicious Circle P. 155

- Part III What Next

- Chapter 7: Restoring the Alliances P. 185

- Notes P. 223
- Index P. 256