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Summary of Conceptualising the transatlantic relationship (Rees, 2011)
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IntroductionThe US and EU are distinct types of actors, with the US being a single state with a federal
political structure and the EU being a group of states with different histories brought together
by shared interests. Both are guided by ideas, but their different histories and capabilities have
led to contrasting approaches to their use of force. This has made it difficult for the US and EU
to agree on how to address new security challenges. The author will explore these differences
and their implications for the transatlantic security relationship in the chapter.
American exceptionalism
The US considers itself to be a special and unique nation, derived from its democratic political
system, belief in the power of its written constitution, and its capitalist economic system. This
belief in its superiority has translated into its foreign policies, where the goal of promoting
democratic development has become the cornerstone of US foreign policy and has provided an
underlying sense of legitimacy for military interventions. America's sense of moral superiority,
arising from its religiosity and belief in its own virtue, has also influenced its foreign policy,
making it a leader in the West and contributing to a good versus evil dichotomy in popular
perceptions. These ideas have been shaped by four domestic schools of thought, including
Hamiltonians, Jacksonians, Jeffersonians, and Wilsonians, which have helped to shape US
foreign policy.
Clinton: Wilsonians
Bush: Jacksonians
Obama: Wilsonians
The EU: a new sort of power
The EU has been successful in achieving peaceful relations between European countries. This
is attributed to the process of economic integration and the pooling of sovereignty, which has
been made possible through the development of a multilevel governance system and the
agreement of legal texts. The EU operates through a complex system of multilevel governance,
where power is mediated through an institutional framework, facilitating clarity of information
and reducing potential transaction costs. The author then mentions the criticism that the EU is
overly focused on institutions and process, but argues that this view fails to understand the
nature of the Union, where institutional relationships are at the heart of the European project.
The evolution of the EU from an economic entity to a political one, with the gradual extension
of its competences into foreign policy and security. This has led to the development of common
European views and the cooperation between actors in different sectors of national
governments, they cooperate closely through "transgovernmentalism.". However, the member
states still remain the principal actors in European politics and have been reluctant to cede
additional competences to the EU.
The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is not a common policy but more of a
mechanism for discussing and reconciling the foreign policies of key European states. The EU
projects itself as a "civilian power" that is non-military and non-coercive in nature,that seeks
to externalize its values, such as democracy, human rights, and protection of minority rights,
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