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Iraq and the transatlantic alliance.

Article Excerpt
The Iraq War tore at the already frayed fabric of transatlantic security relations. Although European countries declared their solidarity with the United States after September 11, they were increasingly uncomfortable with Washington's emphasis on unilateralist approaches to global problems. After President Bush took office in 2001, his administration upset many European leaders by refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, opposing the International Criminal Court, and killing the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. In October 2001, Washington was reluctant at first to use the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the campaign to oust the Taliban in Afghanistan. While taken aback by U.S. reluctance, NATO leaders and Europeans generally approved of the U.S.-led operation.

This was not true of the 2003 Iraq invasion, which widened the fissures between the United States and Europe as well as within Europe itself. Indeed, the invasion of Iraq led to one of the most damaging diplomatic rows in transatlantic relations since the end of World War II. Since the invasion, the Iraq War has continued to erode trust and military resources. With the recent British decision to withdraw a substantial number of troops from Iraq, the coalition of the willing is now on its last legs. The only glimmer of hope lies with recent poll data that reveal that Europeans and Americans share similar views of global security threats.

The Invasion of Iraq

With Americans feeling more vulnerable after the September 11 terrorist attacks and Europe willing to help, the Bush administration started to ramp up efforts within the United Nations to give Iraq an ultimatum on weapons inspections. In November 2002, all 15 members of the UN Security Council agreed on Resolution 1441. The resolution stated that unless Iraq allowed the free movement of weapons inspectors and gave up any weapons of mass destruction (WMD) it would face "serious consequences." NATO formally announced its support for the resolution that same month at the Prague Summit.

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