Cracks in the West? : Reflections on the transatlantic relationship today

Abstract

The essay documents indications for 'cracks' in the transatlantic relationship, identifies their potential causes, and outlines possible policy responses. Taking up Fukuyama's question of whether the West 'is still a coherent concept,' we draw attention to the growing dissensus in the fields of environmental politics, security, and human rights. Subsequently, we offer preliminary explanations for these developments based on three leading schools of thought in International Relations. These explanations make reference to the distribution of power in the international system (realism), divergent ideas about the nature and the locus of the democratic legitimization of politics (constructivism), and the configuration of societal interests within states (liberalism). Finally, we come up with some ideas on how to mend the cracks that have appeared in the West, again drawing on the conceptual resources provided by the three schools of thought.