Description
Book SynopsisBased on new and existing research by a world-class scholar, this is the first book in twenty years to examine the dynamics of the entire American-West European relationship since 1945.The relationship between the United States and Western Europe has always been crucial and recent events dictate that it is becoming ever more so. In this important new work, Geir Lundestad analyses the balance between the cooperation and conflict which has characterized this relationship in the post-war period. He examines talk of transatlantic drift, and the strain now apparent between the USA and the nation states of Western Europe. In the concluding section, Lundestad offers a topical view of the future of transatlantic interaction.Throughout the work Lundestad''s much cited ''empire by invitation'' thesis is both put into practice and extended in time and scope. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in one of the most important and enduring international relationships of the last sixty
Trade ReviewThis book is a must read for political scientists, historians, and anyone interested in the transmutations of international relations and issues of hegemony and coherence in alliance systems. It is written in a concise, jargon-free style that makes it appealing to a larger audience. The unpolemical character of the prose and the balanced judgements add to the many virtues of this book, which offers a powerful argument, presents a sophisticated narrative, and is a magisterial, and, indeed, the best synthesis available of transatlantic relations since 194? * a massive achievement.Political Science Quarterly *
Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Historical Setting: The United States and Western Europe Before 1945 ; 2. Cooperation Established: "Empire" by Invitation 1945-1950 ; 3. The Atlantic Community, Germany's Role, and Western Europe's Integration 1950-1962 ; 4. De Gaulle's Challenge to America's Hegemony 1962-1969 ; 5. The United States, Western Europe, and Out-of-Area Disputes 1945-1975 ; 6. Conflict and Cooperation: American-Western European Relations (Not) Redefined 1969-1977 ; 7. From Bad to Worse: The United States and Western Europe 1977-1984 ; 8. The End of the Cold War and Cooperation in the End 1984-1993 ; 9. America's New Strong Role in Europe 1993-2001 ; 10. Transatlantic Drift: The Present and the Future ; Bibliography
