Divided West

This book analyses the genesis and process through which transatlantic strategic dissonance now defines a divided West. It contends that constructive strategic dissonance has the potential to best manage a complex and pressing global security agenda.

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• Reflects on the bitter disputes that have crystallized across the Atlantic after 9/11 and the rise of terrorist, WMD and failed state threats.
  
• Structured around the concepts of ‘Atlantic’, ‘Core’, ‘New’ ‘Non-aligned’ and ‘Periphery’ Europe that have emerged in the wake of these disputes.
  
• Identifies the trends and factors that have driven and could further propel the Euro-Atlantic security community towards different futures.
  
• Analyses the security policy implications of each scenario for states within this region.

9/11 and its aftermath helped make more visible divergent transatlantic approaches to the legitimacy of military intervention, the utility of ‘coalitions of the willing’, the effectiveness of regime change and the use of coercive force within the international system. The Iraq War and the strategic dissonance it generated led many to warn against the danger of transatlantic strategic divorce, and push for transatlantic strategic realignment.

The book is structured around an analysis of five Europes - ‘Atlantic’, ‘Core’, ‘New’, ‘Non-Aligned’ and ‘Periphery’ – which appeared to have consolidated in this period. It argues that transatlantic strategic dissonance will be an enduring feature of the Euro-Atlantic security environment as it reflects economic and military power differences, the shifting values and identities and the policy and institutional preferences of all five Europes and the US. The book concludes by arguing that transatlantic strategic dissonance and a divided West contains the potential to constitute a viable platform for the constructive management of the global security agenda, as well as regulate relations within this security community.

Dr Tuomas Forsberg is Acting Professor of World Politics at the University of Helsinki and adjunct professor at the University of Lapland. Between 2002 and 2004 he was Professor of Western European Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Prior to that he worked as senior researcher and acting director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He gained his PhD at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1998. His research has dealt primarily with European security issues, focusing on ESDP, Germany, Russia and Northern Europe and he has published in journals including Co-operation and Conflict, European Security, Geopolitics, Journal of Peace Research, Political Science Quarterly, Review of International Studies and Security Dialogue. His most recent publication is Finland and Crises: From the Years of Danger to the Terrorist Attacks (2003).

Dr Graeme P. Herd is a resident Faculty Member at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and is involved with expert training in comprehensive international peace and security policy for mid-career diplomats, military officers, and civil servants from foreign, defence, and other relevant ministries, as well as from international organizations. He is also an Associate Fellow of the International Security Programme at Chatham House. Between 2002 and 2005 he was Professor of Civil-Military Relations, Associate Director, Senior Executive Seminar and Faculty Director of Research at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. He has published extensively on aspects of contemporary security politics, particularly on post-Soviet space, in journals including Armed Forces & Society, Co-operation and Conflict, European Security, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Mediterranean Politics, Political Science Quarterly, Security Dialogue, and The World Today. His books include Russia and the Regions: Strength through Weakness (2003) and Soft Security Threats and European Security (2005), co-edited with Anne Aldis. His latest book is forthcoming in 2006 and focuses on countering ideological support for terrorism.