Together or apart? The United States, Europe and the future of transatlanticism 4219-SG057

For decades, American security guarantees have been a pillar of European defense. European security architecture has been based on the North Atlantic Alliance and a strong United States in NATO.
The war in Ukraine (ongoing since 2014), and especially its violent outburst following Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine in 2024, has posed a serious challenge to the international order established after World War II and the values upon which it was built. It has also challenged the current thinking about the post-Cold War structure of European security and the US's role in the security of the old continent.
The criticism of Europe by the first and second Trump administrations combined with the shift in American policy priorities confirmed in the 2025 National Security Strategy and the 2026 National Defense Strategy, raises questions about the durability of the foundations on which transatlantic relations were built and their future.
This course will explore the main stages of the development of transatlantic relations after World War II, including the presence and influence of the United States in the reconstruction of Europe and the European security architecture since 1945. It will examine the key documents and ideological background that constitute transatlantic relations, with particular emphasis on current challenges in Europe-US relations.
The above will be analyzed in the following thematic blocks:
1. Ideological foundations for US involvement in international affairs:
• The US and its policy of isolationism; walking away from isolationism; the WWI and the interwar period,
• American exceptionalism, “mission to the mankind” and the Wilsonian moralism for post - WW2 international liberal order,
• Key US presidential doctrines and their impact on policy directions in the post WW2 period.

2. International post-war order:
• The US and Europe on the onset of the Cold War; Truman doctrine, the Marshall Plan and relations with the Western Europe, US relations with the Soviet Union; foundation of the United Nations (1945) and the North Atlantic Alliance/NATO (1949);
• Arms race and arms control: the disarmament process and the 1975 Helsinki Act – foundation of the CSCE/OSCE;
• US policy towards Europe and European integration process.
3. The end of the Cold War and searching for a new “grand” strategy for/by the United States:
• Transatlantic relations (security and economy) under presidents: George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Donald Trump (second administration);
• Key documents related to the American national security interests as defined by the post - Cold War presidencies;
• 21st century security challenges, new trans-border challenges and the transatlantic security cooperation; war in Ukraine, unrest/wars in the Middle East, security challenges in Asia.
4. Challenges and the future of transatlantic relations:
• "America First" and European interests; US policy towards NATO and Europe;
• Main challenges in transatlantic relations in the areas of security and economy;
• The future of transatlantic relations – a look into a post-Donald Trump's second term.