Abstract:
In the Trans-Atlantic relations, the Soviet Union no lon1erexists to serve as a tar1et for the .ecurlty system of the Western alliance. The expansion of NATO to the East, the EU enlargement with the Inclusion of the ten new memben, and more Importantly, major chan1es In US security policies since September 11, 2001 su11est the openln1 of a new chapter In the security relatlo.ns between the countries of the two 1ldes of the Atlantic Ocean. The author explores the possible effects of these prospected changes In the EU-US security relationship for the world security and for the Middle East, the Persian Gulf re1ion and Iran In particular. Ames:lcan1 are relyln1 more than ever on hard power In punult of their forel1n policy In the aftermath of September 11. The critics of US unilateral policies lncludin1 many Europeans emphasize a multilateral approach for solvln1 international problems. The author believes that the European Union and the United States have started a cooperative effort to end what they consider as Iran's putative nuclear weapons program. He concludes that the American oppo1ltlon to any opening toward Iran has made It difficult for Europeans to fully engage with Iran.
Machine summary:
: Security Relationship, Alliance, Cold War, NATO, European Union, Unllaterallsm Keywords •Nasser Saghati-Ameri is a former diplomat and an independent writer and analyst on international relations.
Discourse: An Iranian Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. I (Summer 2004): 77-100 Introduction ver halfa century a military alliance between the United States of America and Western Europe constituted the backbone of the policies of the West toward its rival Eastern bloc, and the rest of the world in general.
The expansion ofNATO to the East, the EU enlargement with the inclusion of the ten new members with plans for an independent security policy vis-a-vis the United States of America, and more importantly, major changes in US security policies since September 11, 2001 suggest the opening of a new chapter in the security relations between the countries of the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana while addressing this issue remarked: "[The European Union as] a political union of 450 million people in 25 countries producing a quarter of the world's GDP, has both regional and global responsibilities.
Thus, the European Union and the United States after a divide over US policies in Iraq finally came to a common understanding over Iran's nuclear program and its possible fallout for the security oflsrael.
In the Middle East, apart from the differences between the United States and European Union on their policies regarding the peace plan, American victory in Iraq has left Europeans in a much weaker position in the region than before.