Americans and Europeans Dancing in the Dark: On Our Differences and Affinities, Our Interests, and Our Habits of Life - Hardcover

Dennis L. Bark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0817948015 ISBN 13: 9780817948016

Publisher: Hoover Institution Press, 2007

Synopsis

A once grand relationship slipping away

The once rock-solid relationship between Europeans and Americans--based on common interests, shared values, trust, affection, and respect--is fading away, to be replaced by criticism and dissension. Why is this happening? And why does it matter? In Americans and Europeans--Dancing in the Dark, Dennis Bark offers an in-depth examination of the deteriorating relationship between America and Europe: our differences and affinities, the reasons behind our conflicts, and the future of our alliance. Our differences, Bark reveals, are not of principle but of practice, shaped by our different histories. He focuses on what he calls the essential difference between us: America was built from the ground up, whereas Europe was built from the top down. That is, America was built by immigrants who eschewed the social, political, and economic practices they had always resented. Their purpose was to form their own government themselves, from the ground up. Europe, on the other hand, was built by those who enjoyed privilege and who had much to gain from participating in government rule from the top down. This difference, Bark shows, is profound because it marks our history, shapes our views of the world, and continues to affect how Europeans and Americans conduct their private and professional lives. The European-American relationship, the author ultimately concludes, is unique and irreplaceable. To let it unravel would be unthinkable, and to let it come apart would have disastrous consequences for all of us.

About this title

About the Author

Dennis L. Bark, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, is a historian and political scientist in the field of European studies. He writes and lectures on European affairs and the transatlantic relationship, with special emphasis on France and Germany.

Review

From Foreign Affairs
Reviewed by Philip H. Gordon

In the aftermath of the greatest transatlantic crisis in at least 50 years -- the U.S.-European split over the war in Iraq -- analysts on both sides of the Atlantic have been trying to understand its causes, weigh its importance, and offer suggestions for repairing the breach. Bark is most interested in the social, historical, and cultural factors that divide (and sometimes unite) Europe and the United States. He focuses on the "essential difference" that Europe is run from the "top down" while the United States works from the "bottom up." The idea is not original, but it is presented with exceptional clarity, substantiated by solid evidence and telling anecdotes, and offered without a trace of the caricature that often accompanies sweeping judgments about "Europeans" and "Americans." --Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hoover Institution Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0817948015
• ISBN 13: 9780817948016
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 273