The Vital Partnership: Power and Order

by Simon Serfaty emeritus, Old Dominion Un

Overview

The Vital Partnership is a political, historical, and intellectual assessment of the evolution of transatlantic relations. This partnership, warns Simon Serfaty, is clearly at a crossroads, and even at risk. The problem, he argues, is neither personal nor bilateral or even circumstantial—not even over George W. Bush, France, or Iraq. Instead, the crisis is structural, the result of four interconnected facts. One is the preponderance of American power, which the end of the Cold war left without any immediate competitor. Another fact is the integration of Europe as a European Union whose non-military capabilities and institutional influence now enable it to resist the sway of that power. A third fact is the impact of globalization, meaning the inability for any country, including the most powerful among them, to remain indifferent to developments elsewhere. And the fourth fact is the emergence of a new form of war-like terror, unveiled most dramatically on September 11, 2001. Under such conditions, concludes Serfaty, the defining transatlantic issue is not over power and weakness, but over power and order. And Serfaty calls on the Bush administration to complete the postwar strategy pursued by President Truman during his own second term in office, when the institutional order organized around American power identified the like-minded states of Europe as its allies of choice for the management of the new security normalcy that threatened to engulf the West during the Cold War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742548855
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/20/2005
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.28(w) x 9.38(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Simon Serfaty is the Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy and senior adviser for the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a senior professor and eminent scholar of U.S. foreign policy at Old Dominion University. His books include Memories of Europe's Future: Farewell to Yesteryear and Stay the Course. Serfaty currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Acknowledgments Chapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 Temptation of Empire Chapter 5 A Critical Juncture Chapter 6 In Defense of American Policies Chapter 7 A Challenging Europe Chapter 8 Power and Order Chapter 9 Notes Chapter 10 Selected Bibliography Chapter 11 Index Chapter 12 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

At a time when Europeans and Americans are seeking to redefine their relationships, Simon Serfaty offers an eloquent defense of our long-standing alliance. For all our differences, he argues, Europe matters to America, and America to Europe, because overlapping interests and compatible values make of each the other's partner of choice. This book offers a balanced and persuasive account of some of the conditions during and beyond the Cold War that brought us to this point in the relationship, and some sensible suggestions for the continuing management of this vital partnership.

Senator Richard G. Lugar

This is a timely and forceful response to those who question whether we still need to strengthen our alliance with the states of Europe and their Union. The will to do so, argues Simon Serfaty, begins with developing a better understanding of our own remarkable achievements in, for, and with Europe over the past 50 years. A comprehensive and discerning book that stands out for its refreshingly balanced assessment of current and future trends in transatlantic relations.

Sam Nunn

The trans-Atlantic partnership certainly sprung from necessity, but ultimately was a product of choice. We now face the same situation, and must choose. Simon Serfaty lifts our sights above the current skirmish to see the larger battle, to embrace a vision for the future that proved hugely successful in the past.

John J. Hamre

This book is a significant contribution to the literature in the field. Drawing on his rich familiarity with both the Continental and U.S. cultures, Simon Serfaty lets the reader see the United States through European eyes and Europe through American eyes, and thus provides uniquely what can only be called a transatlantic perspective.. .. Refusing to embrace any of the prevailing caricatures, Serfaty offers an eloquent case for a no-illusion enhancement of the relationship.

Seyom Brown

Anyone who knows Simon Serfaty will expect a punchy, robust polemic about America's relations with the rest of the world. They will not be disappointed. Here is a cogent case argued with passion and clarity. Agree or disagree, as you like, but it cannot be ignored.

Lord George Robertson

Simon Serfaty's new book on the partnership between the United States and members of the European Union is as timely as it is insightful. In a refreshingly balanced appeal for a revitalization of transatlantic relations, he illuminates the structural reasons and compelling long-term trajectories that underline why a close cooperation between these two centers of Western power is mutually beneficial, if not a necessity. ... this book is a must-read for anyone who takes transatlantic relations seriously.

Werner D. Lippert

Simon Serfaty's new book on the partnership between the United States and members of the European Union is as timely as it is insightful. In a refreshingly balanced appeal for a revitalization of transatlantic relations, he illuminates the structural reasons and compelling long-term trajectories that underline why a close cooperation between these two centers of Western power is mutually beneficial, if not a necessity. ... this book is a must-read for anyone who takes transatlantic relations seriously.
— Werner D. Lippert, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Political Science Quarterly