Open Democracy: Europe's foreign policy: saying “no” to the US? - by John Palmer

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Europe's foreign policy: saying “no” to the US? - by John Palmer

The European Union may - just may - be on the cusp of unveiling a foreign and security policy towards the most explosive issues in the middle east which marks a significant break with the strategy followed so far under the leadership of the Bush administration. Although the new EU strategy is as yet being pursued tentatively and with a desire to avoid provoking Washington, American neo-conservative ideologues are already scenting a major new transatlantic rift.The past few months have seen a perceptible decline in the influence of the Bush administration on global affairs, in part-consequence of the mounting setbacks to its strategy in the "war against terror" in general and the near-disintegration of its policies in Iraq in particular. A further factor has been the ejection of some of George W Bush's key international allies from office - a process which began with the election defeat of José-María Aznar in Spain after the Madrid bombs in March 2004, and continued with the removal of Silvio Berlusconi in Italy in April 2006. A similar fate (voluntary or forced) awaits Tony Blair in Britain over the next few months.

EU governments are keen to carry through their radical new foreign-policy strategy without any public rupture in relations with the United States. Apart from anything else everyone knows that delivering the Israeli government to serious political negotiations on a full and final settlement of the Palestine issue will require cooperation and goodwill in Washington. Some European Union leaders make no secret of their impatience to see a new Democratic president and administration in Washington on the basis that it will be less unilateralist and ideologically driven than the current administration. In the meantime the EU seems to be serious about pursuing its own foreign policy, whatever the mutterings and muted criticisms being heard across the Atlantic.