Atlanticism

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Poster by the U.S. government promoting the Marshall Plan (1950)

Atlanticism, also known as Transatlanticism,

North Atlantic Ocean, which is bordered by North America
and Europe.

The term can be used in a more specific way to refer to support for North Atlantic military alliances against the

Second World War and in its aftermath, the Cold War, through the establishment of various Euro-Atlantic institutions, most importantly NATO and the Marshall Plan
.

Atlanticism varies in strength from region to region and from country to country based on a variety of historical and cultural factors. It is often considered to be particularly strong in

political right
in Europe. Atlanticism often implies an affinity for U.S. political or social culture, or affinity for Europe in North America, as well as the historical bonds between the two continents.

There is some tension between Atlanticism and continentalism on both sides of the Atlantic, with some people emphasising increased regional cooperation or integration over trans-Atlantic cooperation.[4] The relationship between Atlanticism and North American or European integrations is complex, and they are not seen in direct opposition to one another by many commentators.[5] Internationalism is the foreign policy belief combining both Atlanticism and continentalism.[5]

History

Photograph
Ronald Reagan speaking in Berlin, 1987 ("Tear down this wall!") with Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of Germany. Reagan was a committed Atlanticist.

Prior to the World Wars, western European countries were generally preoccupied with continental concerns and creating

colonial empires in Africa and Asia, and not relations with North America. Likewise, the United States was busy with domestic issues and interventions in Latin America, but had little interest in European affairs, and Canada, despite gaining self-governing dominion status through Confederation in 1867, had yet to exercise full foreign policy independence as a part of the British Empire
.

Following

US President Woodrow Wilson never seriously explored their offer, instead preferring to focus on his (ultimately unsuccessful) fight to secure US entry into the League of Nations.[7]

Paul D. Cravath
, early Atlanticist Movement leader.

The experience of having American and Canadian troops fighting with British, French, and other Europeans in Europe during the World Wars fundamentally changed this situation. Though the U.S. (and to some extent Canada) adopted a more

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
, the main institutional consequence of Atlanticism, which binds all members to defend the others, and led to the long-term garrisoning of American and Canadian troops in Western Europe.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan (right) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986
U.S. President Bill Clinton (left) greets British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1999

After the end of the Cold War, the relationship between the United States and Europe changed fundamentally, and made the sides less interested in each other. Without the threat of the Soviet Union dominating Europe, the continent became much less of a military priority for the U.S., and likewise, Europe no longer felt as much need for military protection from the U.S. As a result, the relationship lost much of its strategic importance.[8]

However, the new democracies of the former Warsaw Pact, and parts of the fragments of the fractured Yugoslavia, took a different view, eagerly embracing Atlanticism, as a bulwark against their continued fear of the Soviet Union's key now-separate great power fragment: Russia.[9][10]

Atlanticism has undergone significant changes in the 21st century in light of

Ivo Daalder questioned whether Europe and the United States had diverged to such a degree that their alliance was no longer relevant.[14][15] Later, in 2018, Kagan said that "we actually need the United States to be working actively to support and strengthen Europe".[16]

The importance of NATO was reaffirmed during

sanctions on Russia with European (and Pacific) allies after Russia's first invasion of Ukraine in Crimea.[20] After his presidency, Obama also stressed the Atlantic alliance's importance during the Trump administration, indirectly opposing Trump in the matter.[17]

During the Trump years, tensions rose within NATO, as a result of democratic backsliding in Hungary and Turkey, and Trump's comments against NATO members and the alliance.[21] Robert Kagan echoed common criticisms that Trump undermined the alliance.[16] Despite this, NATO gained two new member countries (Montenegro and North Macedonia) during that time.[22] The importance of NATO in Europe increased due to the continuing threat of the Russian military and intelligence apparatus and the uncertainty of Russian actions in former Soviet Union countries,[18][21] and various threats in the Middle East.[21] German-Russian economic relations became an issue in the Atlantic relationship due to Nord Stream 2,[23] among other disagreements such as trade disputes between the United States and the European Union.[24]

As the

Russian invasion of Ukraine, journalists noted that the Russian aggression led to a united political response from the European Union,[26][27] making the defensive relevance of the Atlantic alliance more widely known, and increasing the popularity of NATO accession in countries like Sweden and Finland.[28][29][30] Finland joined NATO on 4 April 2023 and Sweden on 7 March 2024.[31]
[32]

Ideology

Atlanticism is a belief in the necessity of cooperation between North America and Europe. The term can imply a belief that the bilateral relationship between Europe and the United States is important above all others, including intra-European cooperation, especially when it comes to security issues.[33] The term can also be used "as a shorthand for the transatlantic security architecture."[33]

G7 grouping and other Atlanticist institutions. In the long debate between Atlanticism and its critics in the 20th century, the main argument was whether deep and formal Atlantic integration would serve to attract those still outside to seek to join, as Atlanticists argued, or alienate the rest of the world and drive them into opposite alliances.[34] The Atlanticist perspective that informed the scheme of relations between the United States and the Western European countries after the end of World War Two was informed by political expedience and a strong civilizational bond.[35] Realists, neutralists, and pacifists, nationalists and internationalists tended to believe it would do the latter, citing the Warsaw Pact as the proof of their views and treating it as the inevitable realpolitik counterpart of NATO.[34]

Broadly speaking, Atlanticism is particularly strong in the United Kingdom

In the early 21st century, Atlanticism has tended to be slightly stronger on the political right in Europe (although many variations do exist from country to country), but on the political center-left in the United States. The partisan division should not be overstated, but it exists and has grown since the end of the Cold War.[38]

While trans-Atlantic trade and political ties have remained mostly strong throughout the Cold War and beyond, the larger trend has been

continentalist economic integration with the European Economic Area and the North American Free Trade Agreement notably dividing the Atlantic region into two rival trade blocs. However, many political actors and commentators do not see the two processes as being necessarily opposed to one another,[39] in fact some commentators believe regional integration can reinforce Atlanticism.[2] Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty, added by Canada, also attempted to bind the nations together on economic and political fronts.[40][41]

Institutions

The North Atlantic Council is the premier, governmental forum for discussion and decision-making in an Atlanticist context. Other organizations that can be considered Atlanticist in origin:[34]

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are also considered Atlanticist. Under a tacit agreement, the former is led by an American and the latter European.[42]

Prominent Atlanticists

Well-known Atlanticists include former U.S. Presidents

Paul D. Cravath.[6]

See also

References

  1. .
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ Weisbrode, Kenneth. The Atlanticists.'' Nortia Press, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Mouritzen, Hans (16 May 2007). "Denmark's Super Atlanticism". Nordic International Studies Association. Retrieved 24 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ . Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  6. ^ . Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  7. .
  8. S2CID 154201721. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  9. Centre of International Studies, ISSN 0955-7571 print / ISSN 1474-449X, retrieved June 8, 2020 from Pittsburg State University
    .
  10. ^ Schmitz-Robinson, Elizabeth: "Kindred Spirit or Opportunistic Ally? Polish Atlanticism in the 21st Century,", Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union (2009) : Vol. 2009, Article 12. DOI: 10.5642/urceu.200901.
  11. ^ North Atlantic Council. "Statement by the North Atlantic Council," 2001-10-12. Retrieved on 2007-10-13
  12. ^ Schmitt, Eric. "NATO Planes to End Patrol of U.S. Skies," New York Times, 2002-05-02. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
  13. ^ NATO, "Statement to the Press, by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson," 2001-10-04. Retrieved on 2007-10-13
  14. ^ Kagan, Robert (2003). Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  15. Daalder, Ivo H.: "The End of Atlanticism," June 1, 2003, Brookings Institution
    , retrieved June 8, 2020
  16. ^ a b Reinert, Ted (2018-07-20). ""To destroy the liberal world order": Trump, Putin, and the imperiled trans-Atlantic alliance". Brookings. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  17. ^ a b Horsley, Scott (25 May 2017). "As Trump Slams NATO Allies, Obama Defends 'International Order'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  18. ^ a b "NATO's 'Obama problem'". POLITICO. 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  19. ^ Good, Chris (2009-12-10). "The Obama Doctrine: Multilateralism With Teeth". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  20. ^ "Obama urges Russia to show 'respect'". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  21. ^ a b c Kirchick, Norman Eisen and James (2018-07-14). "Yes, Russia is a threat to NATO. So are the alliance's anti-democratic members". Brookings. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  22. ^ Emmott, Robin (2019-02-06). "Macedonia signs accord to join NATO despite Russian misgivings". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  23. ^ Ellyatt, Holly (2020-06-29). "America's relationship with Germany may never be the same again, Berlin warns". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  24. ^ "EU keeps its shield up in the US trade war". POLITICO. 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  25. ^ "EU sighs with relief as Biden readies to enter White House". AP NEWS. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  26. ^ Langfitt, Frank (2022-03-24). "Russia's invasion of Ukraine transforms Europe's political and military landscape". NPR. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  27. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  28. ^ "Ukraine conflict: What is Nato and how could Finland and Sweden join?". BBC News. 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  29. ^ "NATO Expansion Could Finally Shore Up Alliance's Weakest Flank". Bloomberg.com. 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  30. ^ "Timeline of NATO expansion since 1949". AP NEWS. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  31. ^ Kauranen, Anne; Gray, Andrew (2023-04-04). "Finland joins NATO in historic shift, Russia threatens 'counter-measures'". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  32. ^ Matthew, Lee; Cook, Lorne (2024-03-07). "Sweden officially joins NATO, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality". The Assosciated Press. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  33. ^ .
  34. ^ a b c d Straus, Ira (June 2005). "Atlanticism as the core 20th century U.S. strategy for internationalism" (PDF). Streit Council. Annual Meeting of the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  35. .
  36. ^ .
  37. Traian Basescu, is a bastion of Atlanticism in the Balkan and Black Sea
    regions."
  38. ^ Asmus, Ronald; Phillip Everts; Pierangelo Isernia (2004). "Across the Atlantic and Political Aisle: The Double Divide in U.S. - European Relations" (PDF). German Marshall Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  39. ^ "The Atlanticist delusion". The Economist. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  40. ^ NATO. "Canada and NATO - 1949". NATO. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  41. ^ NATO. "The North Atlantic Treaty". NATO. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  42. ^ Keating, Joshua E. "Why Is the IMF Chief Always a European?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  43. ^ Settle, Michael (30 July 2007). "'Atlanticist' Brown vows to strengthen special bond with US". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  44. ^ "Zbigniew Brzezinski". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  45. ^ Gros-Verheyde, Nicolas (19 March 2009). "A diplomat, Socialist, Atlanticist and European". Europolitics. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.