Hard Power, Soft Power and the Future of Transatlantic Relations

The dynamics of transatlantic relations in the twenty-first century have been shaped by an American preference for the exercise of its considerable 'hard power' capabilities while Europeans have preferred to draw upon the considerable 'soft power' resources that have grown from their enviable internal processes of integration. These diverging power preferences have differential impacts on the management of Atlantic security, economic, and social and cultural relations. The contributors, long-time observers and analysts of the Atlantic partnership, debate how problematic security relations are likely to continue to be, discuss how successfully economic affairs will be managed, and examine the continuing frictions in domestic politics of social and cultural matters that should be manageable if both European and American leaders work actively and responsibly to encourage policy convergence.

Thomas L. Ilgen is Jones Foundation Professor of Political Studies at Pitzer College, USA, a member of the Claremont Colleges. He is also serving as the Associate Director of the European Union Center of California in Claremont, California, USA, and Faculty Associate in the School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University, USA. Thomas has edited four other books, most recently editing Reconfigured Sovereignty: Multilayered Governance in the Global Age (Ashgate, 2003). His research and teaching focuses on International Political Economy, and Science and Technology Policy.