The Strained Alliance: US-European Relations from Nixon to Carter

by Matthias Schulz , Thomas A. Schwartz

• ISBN13: 9780521899994
• ISBN10: 0521899990
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-11-16
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Using a wide array of recently declassified archival materials in the United States and Western Europe, this collection offers new insights into the changing dynamics of transatlantic relations during the era of dètente (1969-1980). Whereas prior studies of this decade have focused on the end of the Vietnam War or U.S.-Soviet relations, this volume reveals why bitter conflicts developed between the U.S. and its European allies, and how, contrary to conventional wisdom, European integration evolved less as a consequence of Washington's support than as a result of America's relative decline and growing U.S.-European discord. Taking into account the developments in various bilateral and multilateral settings, such as the European Community, the Helsinki process, and the G-7 summits, the contributions show that a common alliance strategy has always been a difficult undertaking, often the result of bitter confrontation and painful compromises. With clear overtones to more recent disputes, this collection demonstrates there was never a 'golden age' of transatlantic harmony.

Table of Contents

Contributors	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Disturbing American Leadership? Détente and German Ostpolitik
U.S. Détente and West German Ostpolitik: Parallels and Frictions	p. 23
The Nixon Administration and West German Ostpolitik, 1969-1973	p. 45
The Economics of Ostpolitik: West Germany, the United States, and the Gas Pipeline Deal	p. 65
Odd Man Out? The CDU-CSU, Ostpolitik, and the Atlantic Alliance	p. 83
A Widening Atlantic? The Relaunching of Europe and the Collapse of the Transatlantic Monetary Order
The Hague Summit of the European Community, Britain's Entry, and the New Atlantic Partnership, 1969-1970	p. 105
Unraveling the Ties That Really Bind: The Dissolution of the Transatlantic Monetary Order and European Monertary Cooperation, 1965-1973	p. 125
Toward a "Community of Stability"? The Deutsche Mark between European and Atlantic Priorities, 1968-1973	p. 145
The Politics of Planes and Engines: Anglo-American Relations during the Rolls-Royce-Lockheed Crisis, 1970-1971	p. 169
Reasserting U.S. Leadership? Kissinger's Year of Europe and Beyond
Asserting Europe's Distinct Identity: The EC Nine and Kissinger's Year of Europe	p. 195
Kissinger's Year of Europe, Britain's Year of Choice	p. 221
West Germany's Long Year of Europe: Bonn between Europe and the United States	p. 237
The United States, Western Europe, and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1972-1975	p. 257
Allied Voices, American Choices: The Demise Of Détente And The Search For Consensus
The Reluctant European: Helmut Schmidt, the European Community, and Transatlantic Relations	p. 279
The Quest for Leadership in a Time of Peace: Jimmy Carter and Western Europe, 1977-1981	p. 309
The United States, Europe, and the NATO Dual-Track Decision	p. 333
Epilogue
The Superpower and the Union in the Making: U.S. -European Relations, 1969-1980	p. 355
Index	p. 375
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.