What were the key factors that led to the establishment of a new Western alliance?
What were the core pillars/values underpinning this new order? Did the US and Western Europeans share the same assumptions/perceptions of the Western alliance and key institutions such as NATO?
For the second time, AU and KU-Leuven got together for Reimagining the Transatlantic Order, with this week centering on the history of transatlantic relations and the various iterations that have emerged, from the era of exploration in 1492 to the creation of an independent America in 1776, and onward through two world wars, a cold war, and the fluctuating purpose and uncertain future of NATO in the twenty-first century.
Through small-group discussions, the class pondered these questions:
Conflict and cooperation are deeply ingrained in the fabric of the transatlantic alliance, as we saw from the founding period; in the aftermath of the Cold War, what were the driving forces/structural changes that fueled conflict/discord?
To what extent does the post-Cold War era mark a break from the Cold War when it comes to the transatlantic order?
Would the past 5-6 years be best described as an era of conflict or crisis for the transatlantic order?
A few common themes and ideas emerged. First, the idea of an Atlantic order becomes most clear in the post-WWII period, at which time the United States saw an opportunity to take charge as the nations of Europe were in desperate need of assistance from their new partner. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) emerged as a clear example of how transatlantic relations took shape around a common belief in containing and mitigating the threat of Soviet aggression but now illustrates the comingling of crisis and conflict as a post-cold war transatlantic alliance struggles to orient itself and redefine its purpose in an ever-changing world.
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