US-EU relations in a Changing World

elective monographs

Classroom

The course aims to examine and evaluate Transatlantic Relations since 1989. It will deal with the full range of the evolving issues and problems between the United States and Europe. It will consists of introduction, three main modules (each concentrated on particular group of issues – political, economic and social) and ends with evaluation of transatlantic relations and prospects for the future.

The course aims to examine and evaluate Transatlantic Relations after 1989. This course will examine the full range of the evolving issues between the United States and Europe. It consists of introduction, three main modules (each concentrated on particular group of issues) and ends with evaluation of transatlantic relations and prospects for the future.

In the introductory part we will set up the general overview of the transatlantic relations, examine how these relations were changing over the post-Cold War period and finally define current stage of transatlantic partnership.

In the first part of the course we will analyze the most important political problems in transatlantic relations and will concentrate on the changing role of NATO, European initiatives to develop its own defense capabilities, the problem of war on terror, intervention in Iraq and relations with Iran.

In the second part of the course we will focus on the transatlantic economic relations. We will analyze cooperation and competition between the US and Europe, strengthening regional blocks (EU and NAFTA, TTIP) and their consequences for transatlantic relations.

The third part of the course will deal with the broader role of EU-US relations in global governance. We will analyze the issue of climate change (including Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement in mutual relations); we will also talk about migration from the US and EU perspectives. Finally we will examine similarities and differences in American and European identities.

The last class will be focused on the evaluation of the Transatlantic partnership and its future.

LITERATURE:

1. Basic literature for each session (as listed below)

2. Selected articles from prominent journals (as recommended by the instructor)

3. Reports of the prominent American and European think tanks and research institutes.

INTRODUCTION

 Session 1:

Course Introduction – no readings

 Session 2:

Post-cold war transatlantic partnership – basic ideas and concepts; institutional framework

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Transatlantic Relations: Converging or Diverging?, CHATHAM HOUSE, 2018, HTTPS://WWW.CHATHAMHOUSE.ORG/PUBLICATION/TRANSATLANTIC-RELATIONS-CONVERGING-OR-DIVERGING (YOU MAY DOWNLOAD THE REPORT FROM THIS PAGE)

• D. E. Mix, The United States and Europe: Current Issues, 2015, https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS22163.pdf

• Raymond J. Ahearn, TRANSATLANTIC REGULATORY COOPERATION: BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS, Congressional Research Service, 2009, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34717.pdf

• Trans-Atlantic Scorecard, Brookings, https://www.brookings.edu/search/?s=Trans-Atlantic+Scorecard

 Session 3:

The West and its future in International Relations – debate

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Ikenberry John G., „The end of liberal international order?”, International Affairs, Volume 94, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages 7–23, https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix241

• Kundnani Hans, „What is the Liberal International Order?”, GMF, 2018, file:///Users/aya/Downloads/What%20is%20the%20Liberal%20International%20Order_Project%20edited.pdf

• Miller Paul D., „This is How the Liberal International Order Dies”, Atlantic Council, 2018, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/this-is-how-the-liberal-international-order-dies/

• Stewart M. Patrick, The Liberal World Order Is Dying. What Comes Next?, Jan. 15, 2019, https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/insights/27192/the-liberal-world-order-is-dying-what-comes-next

• Stokes Doug, „Trump, American hegemony and the future of the liberal international order”, International Affairs 94: 1 (2018) 133–150; doi: 10.1093/ia/iix238, https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/images/ia/INTA94_1_8_238_Stokes.pdf

• The Future of the Global Liberal Order , World Economic Forum 2019, https://www.weforum.org/focus/the-future-of-global-liberal-order

PART I - TRANSATLANTIC POLITICAL AND SECURITY RELATIONS

 Session 4:

The role of NATO and European initiatives in developing its own defense capabilities - Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP); European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) in transatlantic security relations and its future

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Cordesman A.H., „The U.S., NATO, and the Defense of Europe: Underlying Trends”, CSIS, 2018, https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-nato-and-defense-europe-underlying-trends

• D. Zandee, „The Future of NATO, Fog over the Atlantic?”, Strategic Monitor 2018-2019, https://www.clingendael.org/pub/2018/strategic-monitor-2018-2019/the-future-of-nato/

• Becker Jordan, Malesky Edmund, „The Continent or the “ Grand Large ”? Strategic Culture and Operational Burden-Sharing in NATO”, International Studies Quarterly, Volume 61, Issue 1, March 2017, Pages 163–180, https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqw039

• NATO Review: http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2016/Archives/EN/index.htm

• NATO: https://www.nato.int/

• CFDP 2016, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ftu/pdf/pl/FTU_6.1.2.pdf

• Why can't NATO and the EU just get along?, Brookings, http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2015/09/28-strategic-partnership-nato-eu-drozdiak

 Session 5:

The war on terror and the question of Iraq and Iran in transatlantic relations

BASIC LITERATURE:

• G. Chrysochou, Transatlantic Relations: The Case of Iranian Nuclear Program, 2017, file:///Users/aya/Downloads/transatlanticrelations_irannuclearprogram.pdf

• “Shaping of a Common Security and Defense Policy”, European Union External Action, July 8th , 2016, https://eeas.europa.eu/topics/common-security-and-defence-policy-csdp/5388/shaping-of-a-commonsecurity-and-defence-policy-_en

• JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), July 14th, 2015, http://www.State.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/iran/jcpoa/

• The Post 9-11 Partnership: Transatlantic Cooperation against Terrorism, The Atlantic Council, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/reports/the-post-911-partnership-transatlantic-cooperation-against-terrorism

• S. R. Sloan, The War on Terror and transatlantic relations, 2011, http://www.atlcom.nl/ap_archive/pdf/AP%202011%20nr.%206/Sloan.pdf

• G. Lindstrom, Shift or Rift, Assessing US-EU relations after Iraq, 2003 http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/bk2003_01.pdf

• Rubin, James, “Stumbling Into War,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2003.http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20030901faessay82504/james-p-rubin/stumbling-into-war.html?mode=print

PART II - TRANSATLANTIC ECONOMIC RELATIONS

 Session 6:

Economic cooperation

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Reports on: “US-EU Bilateral Economic Relations”,

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL30608.pdf

• Tranasatlantic Economy Report, 2019, https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/te2019_-_full_study.pdf

• Hamilton Daniel S. Quinlan Joseph P. The Transatlantic Economy 2018, https://archive.transatlanticrelations.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TA2018_FullStudy.pdf

• Online materials –www.eu.int, www.eurounion.org, www.useu.be, www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/index.html

• Erixon Fredrik, Lee-Makiyama Hosuk, „Europe in the Trumpworld: EU trade and security under the new US executive”, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), No. 07/2016, https://euagenda.eu/upload/publications/untitled-63805-ea.pdf

 Session 7:

Economic competition (eg. GMO case study)

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Online materials –www.eu.int, www.eurounion.org, www.useu.be, www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/index.html

• Principal EU-US trade disputes, 2013, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/bibliotheque/briefing/2013/130518/LDM_BRI(2013)130518_REV1_EN.pdf

• Y. Serhan, „How Do You Know When It's Officially a Trade War?”, The Atlantic, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/06/trade-war-us-europe/563504/

PART III - SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS

 Session 8:

Global challenges – social and environmental issues

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Bergamaschi Luca and Sartori Nicolò „The Geopolitics of Climate A Transatlantic Dialogue”, 2018, https://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/iaip1810.pdf

• Livingston D., Brattberg E., Beyond Fatalism: Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation After the Paris Announcement, 2017, https://carnegieendowment.org/2017/07/05/beyond-fatalism-transatlantic-energy-and-climate-cooperation-after-paris-announcement-pub-71443

 Session 9:

Social and cultural dimension of transatlantic relations and final quiz

BASIC LITERATURE:

• S. Huntington, Clash of Civilizations, 1998

• G. Scott-Smith, Still Exchanging? The History, Relevance, and Effect of International Exchange Programs, 2012, http://www.e-ir.info/2012/09/14/still-exchanging-the-history-relevance-and-effect-of-international-exchange-programs/

 Session 10

Evaluation and the future of Transatlantic Relations

BASIC LITERATURE:

• Riddervolda Marianne, Newsome Akasemi, „Transatlantic relations in times of uncertainty: crises and EU-US relations”, JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION 2018, VOL. 40, NO. 5, 505–521, https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2018.1488839, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07036337.2018.1488839?needAccess=true

• STELZENMÜLLER CONSTANZE, „HOSTILE ALLY The Trump challenge and Europe’s inadequate response, Brookings, 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FP_20190820_hostile_ally.pdf

• Wickett Xenia, „Transatlantic Relations Converging or Diverging?”, Chatham House Report, 2018, https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/research/2018-01-18-transatlantic-relations-converging-diverging-wickett-final.pdf

After finishing this course students should:

 understand the main problems and issues in the U.S.-EU relations

 become familiar with a variety of sources on the U.S. and EU available in selected literature and through the Internet

 develop the capacity for analytical and critical thinking

 develop the ability to formulate reasoned conclusions

 develop writing skills (student should: use the available resources properly, be able to synthesize ideas from different sources in formulating valid thesis statements, know how to incorporate texts into writing, including citing sources and creating bibliographies)

 develop presentation skills and public speaking abilities of students

1. Class participation – 10 points. This includes regular attendance as well as meaningful participation in class discussions. No more than two unexcused absences will be allowed in this course.

2. Students’ project – 20 points:

• short presentation prepared by small groups on specific topics – max. 20 min.

• report based on group research (each group will be responsible for conducting research and preparing the report topics will be related to a specific issue (NATO, European security initiatives, migration, economic cooperation and competition, TTIP, migration etc.); reports should be no longer than 3-5 pages with references and bibliography.

3. Final quiz 20 points

None