Renewing the Atlantic Partnership: Independent Task Force Report

The transatlantic relationship is under serious strain. The end of the Cold War, Europe?s continuing integration, and the new array of threats confronting the West have led Americans and Europeans alike to question the durability and utility of the Atlantic alliance. The transatlantic rift that opened over the war in Iraq significantly intensified these concerns.

This Task Force, established by the Council on Foreign Relations, examines the sources of recent tensions between the United States and Europe and lays out an agenda for renewing the Atlantic partnership. Led by Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, the former secretary of state and national security adviser, and current chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., and Dr. Lawrence H. Summers, the former secretary of the treasury and current president of Harvard University, the Task Force concludes that the United States and Europe should take advantage of their compatible interests and complementary capabilities to guard and extend the values and principles that continue to define the Atlantic community and to meet threats to their common purpose.

The Task Force, directed by Council Senior Fellow and Director of European Studies Charles A. Kupchan, makes specific recommendations for bridging the transatlantic divide, such as reaching agreement on new "rules of the road" governing the use of military force; forging a common policy toward irresponsible states; increasing cooperation through multilateral institutions; developing a common approach to the greater Middle East; adapting NATO to new geopolitical realities; and liberalizing and expanding the global economy.