The Historical Roots of the Atlantic Alliance Between Values and Interests

Abstract

While certainly the Atlantic Alliance was a product of the Cold War, its historical and cultural foundations were much older. This chapter considers both the short-term path which in the early Cold War years brought to the Atlantic Pact and the long-term history of the relations between Europe and the United States, focusing in particular on the Anglo-American special relationship. The chapter also re-examines isolationism, arguing that since its origins the American nation envisaged for itself a future of world domination. After the Second World War, a marriage of convenience took place between the United States and most countries of Western Europe. The Preamble and art. 2 of the Atlantic Treaty of 1949 expressed the aspiration to building something more than a mere military alliance, but as a matter of fact, these provisions were never put into practice. Considering the values, these were never identical and the differences widened after the Cold War. However, from this point of view Europe and North America remain the geopolitical area in the world with the closest interests and affinities.