Still Mars, Still Venus? The United States, Europe, and the Future of the Transatlantic Relationship

US-European Relations in the Age of George W. Bush,' Mary Elise Sarotte is somewhat more optimistic than most of the other analysts about the future of the relationship because the 'very real nature of external threats means that neither the US nor the Europeans have any realistic alternative to cooperation with each other.\n' What they term 'strategic dissonance,' according to which Europe and the United States have neither carried out a strategic divorce nor restructured the key elements of their strategic security relationship, is likely to continue to characterize transatlantic relations for the foreseeable future. While the major feature defining US foreign policy since the Cold War has been the use of coercive means such as military power and economic sanctions, the EU international role, despite recent attempts to develop military capabilities, remains that of a civilian power.