THE SPECIAL ISSUE ARTICLES CONTRIBUTORS ABOUT THE JOURNAL
Tod Lindberg (editor), Beyond Paradise and Power (New York : Routledge, 2004). ISBN 0-4159-5051-1. "Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus: They agree on little and understand one other less and less." Robert Kagan - Power and Weakness With his seminal article "Power and Weakness," Robert Kagan ignited in 2002 a debate on trans-Atlantic relations and the use of power in a post-Cold War world. Developed further in Of Paradise and Power (2004), his polemic posits: "On the all-important question of power… American and European perspectives are diverging." Kagan reasons, …Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus." (Kagan 2004, p3) Published in 2005, Tod Lindberg's Beyond Paradise and Power is an authoritative collection of twelve articles, arranged into three sections, commenting and expounding upon Kagan's tenets. American perspectives on the trans-Atlantic divide open the discussion and are answered by European voices in part two of the book. The collection concludes with essays on broad conceptual and philosophical issues that frame the trans-Atlantic debate. Renowned authors from both sides of the Atlantic provide unparalleled insight into the origins and realities of today's strained American-European relationship. Taking stances that span the political gamut, the contributing authors present sophisticated arguments that both support and contradict Kagan and one another to move beyond "Power and Weakness." Authors Francis Fukuyama, Anne Applebaum, Walter Russell Mead and Wolfgang Ischinger offer Beyond Paradise and Power's most compelling arguments. Francis Fukuyama, Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies ( SAIS ), amplifies the neo-con, structuralist argument. He contends that the US-European rift "is not just a transitory problem," but mirrors culturally perceived differences over democratic legitimacy within Western civilization (p161). Fukuyama continues the debate where Kagan left-off, arguing that the American interpretation is correct: legitimacy is conferred upward from the constitutional nation-state to international organizations; it cannot be "handed downward from a willowy, disembodied international level."(p146) He highlights the shared history of liberal internationalism in the United States and Europe, albeit with different applications. Fukuyama concedes, however, that "the underlying principled issue is essentially unsolvable."(p161) Because of an international democratic deficit, the trans-Atlantic relationship will never be restored to the tight alliance characteristic of the Cold War. Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize winner and columnist for the Washington Post, suggests that conflicting domestic European policy agendas undermine US-European relations. She maintains that the Europe encompasses two diverging camps: "Old Europe" and "New Europe." With pro-American, New European states rising to positions of strength, she presents an alternative to the traditional alliance. According to Applebaum, "What will matter to the United States… are allies who can help provide bases, flyover rights, (and) peacekeeping troops…, not to mention moral, political, and intelligence support. These are things the Poles… can do as well as…the Germans. (p134) For Applebaum, survival of "the West" is certain; with New Europe on the rise, survival of the traditional alliance is not. Walter Russell Mead, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, challenges the structuralist approach to trans-Atlantic divergence. Mead delves into topics untouched by Kagan in his exploration of the fall of Europe into irrelevancy and powerlessness. He identifies declining European birth rates and slowing productivity as causes of the widening US-Europe power gap. Mead maintains that European military weakness is not the result of an aversion to force. Budget constraints imposed by an aging and shrinking population, not ideology, prohibit effective European military capacity. Instead, Europe relies upon its exclusive ability to offer the United States perspective and legitimacy to maintain power on the world stage. Nonetheless, Mead cautions that the US must avoid imperialist tendencies and attitudes abrasive to Europeans as neither camp can manage alone the myriad of problems presented by the post-Cold War world. Wolfgang Ischinger, former German Ambassador to the United States, is an effective European voice in a debate dominated by Americans. He argues "It is true that we may live in a unipolar world when it comes to military power… (but) today, power is determined at least as much by economic strength and interdependence as it is by military might… In economic terms, the transatlantic region is highly integrated."(p83) Ischinger stands alone in elucidating the factors that unite rather than divide the United States and Europe. He reasons that it is not only security and economic interests that connect the two, but also common values, interests and challenges. While Kagan argues that military strength alone determines the course of action, Ischinger counters that there ought to be better, more comprehensive alternatives. Lindberg's collection excels in framing, driving and informing the debate surrounding the tenuous status of the trans-Atlantic alliance. Several years after this topic skyrocketed to the forefront of foreign affairs, the US-European marriage has neither been terminated nor has it been restored. Beyond Paradise and Power summarily makes the case that Americans and Europeans are better off with each other than without. Unfortunately, an opportunity was missed to provide what the debate really needs: concrete solutions outlining how the trans-Atlantic partners can mend their troubled relationship. Notwithstanding this omission, the collection provides a comprehensive and balanced analysis of the history, present and future of the alliance. Beyond Paradise and Power is an invaluable resource that provides a framework for mutual understanding of American and European perspectives and objectives. Readers come away with an unbiased view of the current debate and new insights for intelligent consideration. This collection merits close reading before embarking upon any serious discussion of the rift between the United States and Europe. Tod Lindberg admits that Beyond Paradise and Power does not necessarily provide all the right answers, but the featured essays certainly pose questions that will lead to lasting solutions. Joy M. Wiersum
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