In Britain, Germany, and Spain, the US is seen as the greatest threat to global stability,ahead of China, Iran, and North Korea according to a recent Harris Poll for the Financial Times.
Worsening this picture were the results of a transatlantic relations poll just conducted by the British Council. The poll results were were so dismal that The Council’s head, Lord Kinnock observed, “Growing Hostility in Europe towards the US could cause lasting damage” to transatlantic relations. Note the phrase: lasting damage.
With this in mind, the March 18, 2008 op-ed in the Financial Times titled “America must be a good role model” by the US Republican Party’s presidential nominee, Senator John McCain 

was hugely welcome. Senator McCain, a strong advocate of US-European relations is to be commended for the message this op-ed conveyed re reversing the damage done to the transatlantic alliance by the Bush administration’s unilateral, “we know best”, “you are with us or against us,” policies.
Senator McCain’s op-ed was a good first step. But his understanding of EU reality, as it will impact future transatlantic ties, also has some serious flaws that must be corrected if his heartfelt longing for a renewed transatlantic alliance is go anywhere.
First, the kudos:
“The key word is together,” McCain said, adding, “…we need to strenghten our transatlantic alliance as the core of a new global compact… At the heart of this new compact must be mutual respect and trust.” Then, “We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies.” Three cheers for the Senator.
In his speech, Senator McCain used the phrase ”radical religious fanatics,” which is quite a change for him. Previously, he has made it a point to use Islamophobic phrases such as “Islamo-Fascists” a mainstay of the extreme-right-neocon groups in America. Whether the Senator’s change was for European sensitivities or signifies a recognition of the damage that phrases such as “Islamo-Fascists” do to American-Muslim relations remains to be seen.
“We cannot torture or treat inhumanely the suspected terrorists that we have captured. We must close the detention facility at Guantanamo…” Bravo! I’d have preferred to see “Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and all the global detention centers whose purpose it is to avoid American laws against torture,” but this is a great beginning.
“The risks of global warming have no borders….” A terrific sentiment reflective of how most Americans feel and common ground on which to engage the EU.
Now to the improvements needed in the Senator’s future EU-US addresses:
Senator McCain’s phrase “When we believe that international action is necessary, whether military, economic, or diplomatic…” continues to support European feelings that the US leads with force instead of negotiations. Suggestion: use “military” at the end, as in “diplomatic, economic, and military…”
Much more important:
“The nations of the NATO alliance and the European Union…must have the ability and will to act in defence of freedom…” and later, “A strong EU, a strong NATO and a true strategic partnership between them is profoundly in our interest.” Wrong! The strategic partnership needed is one between the EU and the US. A NATO/EU partnership may, and I repeat, may, somehow come to pass, but that will only happen after the EU and the US have rebuilt a new transatlantic alliance.
NATO is an American led security alliance that was set up to defend Europe against the Soviet Union, it (NATO) is trying to find out what to do next. In this it is failing miserably, as the bloody and inconclusive 7 year war in Afghanistan shows. Also, NATO is a US led military alliance, and American leadership is no longer acceptable to the Europeans.
It is important to figure out what to do with NATO because Europeans and Americans respect the idea of NATO and, with luck, a role acceptable to both Europeans and Americans will be found for it. But its future (if there will be any) must be negotiated by the EU and the US. As one of her, or his, first acts, the new American president should announce that the American Secretary of State will commence discussions with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy to figure out what to do with NATO.
So, muted but well deserved applause for Senator McCain. Fingers crossed that he will continue to give high priority to a new transatlantic alliance.