Allies At War: America, Europe and the Crisis Over Iraq (Hardcover)
by Philip Gordon (Author), Jeremy Shapiro (Author)
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Gordon, former director for European affairs at the National Security Council, and Shapiro, who toils alongside Gordon as a research fellow in foreign-policy studies at the Brookings Institution, have composed what is sure to be the first of many such explorations of the breakdown of the Atlantic Alliance over the issue of war with Iraq. They begin with a detailed account of the origins of the alliance in the postwar mid-twentieth century before demonstrating how the alliance was rent by the U.S. insistence on action against the Saddam Hussein regime. The authors are evenhanded--reminding readers of France's rebellious tendencies toward American hegemony as far back as DeGaulle's days. They also castigate Jacques Chirac's ingenuousness for suggesting that France would go along with whatever the UN Security Council voted on the war when he knew all along that France's veto would doom the vote. In general, the authors seem to come down on the side of the U.S. remaining a protector of sorts for Europe, using their forces for the communal good of the alliance.
Allen Weakland
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
A thorough analysis of where U.S./European relations have gone wrong--and how to set them right
ALLIES AT WAR is the first and most comprehensive assessment of what went wrong between America and Europe during the crisis over Iraq and is based on extensive interviews with policymakers in the United States and Europe.
It puts the crisis over Iraq in historical context by examining US-Europe relations since World War II and shows how the alliance traditionally managed to overcome its many internal difficulties and crises. It describes how the deep strategic differences that emerged at the end of the Cold War and the disputes over the Balkans and the Middle East during the Clinton years already had some analysts questioning whether the Alliance could survive. It shows how the Bush administration’s unilateral diplomacy and world-view helped bring already simmering tensions to a boil, and describes in depth the events leading up to the Iraq crisis of 2003.
Gordon and Shapiro explain how powerful forces such rising American power and the September 11 terrorist attacks have made relations between America and Europe increasingly difficult. But the authors argue that the split over Iraq was not inevitable: it was the result of misguided decisions and unnecessary provocations on both sides. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that claims that the Iraq war signaled the effective end of the Atlantic Alliance, the authors warn that assuming the end of the Alliance could quickly become a self-fulfilling prophesy: leaving the United States isolated, resented, and responsible for bearing the burdens of maintaining international security largely alone.
In response to those who argue that the Atlantic Alliance is no longer viable or necessary, ALLIES AT WAR demonstrates that even after Iraq, the United States and Europe can work together, and indeed must if they wish to effectively address the most pressing problems of our age. The book makes concrete proposals for restoring transatlantic relations and updating the alliance to meet new challenges like global terrorism and the transformation of an unstable Middle East.
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Product Details
- Hardcover: 268 pages
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 1, 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0071441204
- ISBN-13: 978-0071441209
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
