Security Issues - IDM Albania

142 INSTITUTI PËR DEMOKRACI DHE NDËRMJETËSIM
ENGLISH SUMMERY
Rethinking us-europe relations: Is the eu better
for obama than nato?
Paul Hockenos
This article elaborates on the new American administration
and how it would be well served to rethink the United States’
relationship to Europe: It should move toward a strategic
partnership of equals with the European Union and entertain
the possibility of new fora to address global security threats. In
the long-term, a close, respectful working relationship with the
European Union would enhance America’s own security and
enable it to engage much more effectively in a multipolar world.
The article argues that NATO is just one of the post-World
War II institutions that no longer meets the needs of today’s world.
The last decade has witnessed a striking displacement of power,
away from the United States but also away from the West as a
whole. The current implosion of the western-led financial system
has only expedited this shift. When the new global powers begin
to assert themselves, as indeed they are increasingly doing now,
the United States and the Europeans will realize how much they
still have in common. They will thus have to think innovatively
about questions like security in a way that they failed to do in the
immediate aftermath of the Cold War. If the Euro-Atlantic
relationship is going to continue to be a special one, then it has to
be on the basis of a partnership of equals, with the United States
making important concessions to the Europeans and the
Europeans finally stepping up to take care of their own security
requirements. One thing is certain: Given the daunting challenges
of the 21st century, the United States and Europe are going to
need one another more than ever.