{ "id": "RL32577", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL32577", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 311700, "date": "2006-01-23", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:18:58.574029", "title": "The United States and Europe: Possible Options for U.S. Policy", "summary": "The United States and Europe share a long and intertwined history, replete with many ups and\ndowns. The modern transatlantic relationship was forged in the aftermath of World War II to deter\nthe Soviet threat and to promote security and stability in Europe. NATO and the European Union\n(EU), the latest stage in a process of European integration begun in the 1950s, are the two key pillars\nupon which the U.S.-European partnership still rests. The U.S. Congress and successive U.S.\nadministrations have supported both organizations as means to nourish democracy, foster reliable\nmilitary allies, and create strong trading partners.\n Despite the changed European security environment since the end of the Cold War and current\ntransatlantic frictions, many observers stress that the security and prosperity of the United States and\nEurope remain inextricably linked. Both sides of the Atlantic continue to face a common set of\nchallenges -- from countering terrorism and weapons proliferation to ensuring the stability of the\nglobal financial markets -- and have few other comparable partners. The United States and the EU\nalso share the largest trade and investment relationship in the world; annual two-way flows of goods,\nservices, and foreign direct investment exceed $1.1 trillion, while the total stock of two-way direct\ninvestment is over $1.6 trillion.\n Nevertheless, the transatlantic partnership has been fundamentally challenged in recent years\nas numerous trade and foreign policy conflicts have emerged. The crisis over Iraq is most notable,\nbut the list of disagreements is wide and varied. It includes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the EU\narms embargo on China, the role of multilateral institutions and the use of force, the U.S. treatment\nof prisoners in Iraq and at Guant\u00e1namo Bay, aircraft subsidies, and trade in\ngenetically-modified\nfood. These disputes have been driven partly by leadership frictions and European perceptions of\nU.S. unilateralism, and partly by structural issues -- different policy preferences for managing threats,\nthe U.S.-European defense capabilities gap, and the EU's political evolution -- set in motion by the\nend of the Cold War and September 11. These factors are also prompting some Americans and\nEuropeans to question whether the two sides of the Atlantic still share the same values and interests,\nand whether enough commonality remains to make the partnership work.\n This report assesses the present state of the U.S.-European relationship and the reasons for\ncurrent frictions. To stimulate debate and for the purposes of analysis, it also offers a spectrum of\npossible options for U.S. policymakers in considering the future shape of the political and strategic\ndimensions of the transatlantic partnership. These selected options should be viewed as illustrative\nguideposts, however, rather than definitive, exhaustive predictions or stark choices. This report will\nbe updated as needed. For additional information, see CRS Report RL32342 , NATO and the\nEuropean Union , by Kristin Archick and Paul Gallis; CRS Report RS21372 , The\nEuropean Union:\nQuestions and Answers , by Kristin Archick; CRS Report RS21864 , The NATO Summit\nat Istanbul,\n2004 , by Paul Gallis; and CRS Issue Brief IB10087, U.S.-European Union Trade\nRelations: Issues\nand Policy Challenges , by Raymond Ahearn.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL32577", "sha1": "efe73885a3c096a8a84215ecb9d57a564a2ce854", "filename": "files/20060123_RL32577_efe73885a3c096a8a84215ecb9d57a564a2ce854.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL32577", "sha1": "b984318d6f41f89bb04a33dc16e07cfb447d30a6", "filename": "files/20060123_RL32577_b984318d6f41f89bb04a33dc16e07cfb447d30a6.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7536/", "id": "RL32577 2005-03-08", "date": "2005-03-08", "retrieved": "2005-10-24T11:27:03", "title": "The United States and Europe: Possible Options for U.S. Policy", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20050308_RL32577_81fe4ceed7da05ba8ee0793a91f21c88806e90e8.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20050308_RL32577_81fe4ceed7da05ba8ee0793a91f21c88806e90e8.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations - Europe - U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations - Europe - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations - U.S. - Europe", "name": "Foreign relations - U.S. - Europe" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8303/", "id": "RL32577 2004-12-28", "date": "2004-12-28", "retrieved": "2006-02-28T09:14:39", "title": "The United States and Europe: Possible Options for U.S. Policy", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20041228_RL32577_eed56d340d3ecf3b2c4c45087671cf67bfb08fc2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20041228_RL32577_eed56d340d3ecf3b2c4c45087671cf67bfb08fc2.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations - Europe - U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations - Europe - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations - U.S. - Europe", "name": "Foreign relations - U.S. - Europe" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Agricultural Policy", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }