Pax Transatlantica: America and Europe in the Post-Cold War Era

A bold argument that tackles current trends, such as rising nationalism, arguing that they strengthen rather than undermine transatlantic ties.

Is the West finished as a political idea? In recent years, observers have begun pointing to signs that this transatlantic community is eroding. When the European Union expanded, the classic European nation state was in decline. Now, nationalism is on the rise. Furthermore, nations within the EU are less willing to cooperate with the US on policies that require sacrifice and risks, such as using military force alongside the US. Today, following the twin shocks of Brexit and Trump's election, the concept of a unified Western transatlantic community seems to be a relic. But, in Pax Transatlantica, the international historian Jussi Hanhimäki explains why the West is far from over.

Hanhimäki argues that-despite Trump's inflammatory, dismissive rhetoric-NATO continues to provide robust security for its member states. NATO has survived by expanding its remit and scope, and it is viewed favorably by member states overall. Moreover, the transatlantic relationship boasts the richest and most closely connected transcontinental economy in the world. Despite the potential fallout from current trade wars-especially between the US and China-and the rise of economic nationalism, the West still benefits from significant transatlantic trade and massive investment flows. Lastly, Hanhimäki traces the parallel evolution of domestic politics on both sides of the Atlantic, focusing on the rise of populism. He contends that populism is not causing a rift between the US and Europe. Rather, the spread of populism evinces that their politics are in fact closely integrated.

Shifts and even crises abound in the history of the transatlantic relationship. Still, the West endures. Conflicts, rather than undermining the relationship, illustrate its resilience. Hanhimäki shows that the transatlantic relationship is playing out this cycle today. Not only will the "Pax Transatlantica" continue to exist, Hanhimäki concludes, it is likely to thrive in the future.


Author: Jussi M. Hanhimäki
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 06/18/2021
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.13lbs
Size: 9.53h x 6.39w x 0.84d
ISBN: 9780190922160

About the Author

Jussi M. Hanhimäki, Professor of International History and Politics, Graduate Institute, Geneva.

Jussi M. Hanhimäki is Professor of International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute, Geneva. His books include The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy; United Nations: A Very Short Introduction; and (with Arne Westad) The Cold War: A History in Documents and
Eyewitness Accounts. He is the winner of the Bernath Prize by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and was selected Finland Distinguished Professor by the Academy of Finland.