The Transatlantic Link Revisited: The Future Prospects of Europe – United States of America Cooperation

The aim of this paper is to examine the future prospects for cooperation between the European Union after the Treaty of Lisbon and the United States of America under its new leadership. This paper will focus on the maintenance of the transatlantic alliance and the way in which each partner contributed to the maintenance of this alliance. Such alliance- maintenance will have to move beyond issues of military “burden- sharing”—important as those are—to examine whether or not trade and social issues also need addressing. The end of the Cold War has not diminished the importance of consultation on political and security issues, including human security aspects. A healthy transatlantic relationship remains essential in order to guarantee the security and prosperity of Europe and the United States. Viewing transatlantic relations as a common platform for the development of global partnerships with other political actors will strengthen the transatlantic link and direct its future development. The theoretical framework will be derived from two aspects of political science and international relations: theories of neoliberalism and literature on “historical materialism” as discourses used in order to define globalization.