This article appeared in the Winter 2005 issue of Orbis.
The past year saw growing uncertainty about the future of the European Union. Whether it becomes weaker or stronger, and whether it acts as a global partner or competitor, the United States cannot afford to ignore the EU. By understanding the different EU decision-making processes for defense, foreign policy, counter-terrorism, and economic issues, the United States can do a better job of advancing its interests in Europe.
As it is, the United States is not doing a good enough job of advancing its interests in Europe, as evidenced by the high level of frustration in Washington with regard to the EU. Conceptually, the United States lacks a plan for dealing with a big, complex entity that is not a unitary state. In practical terms, it often does an inadequate job of advocating U.S. concerns as issues wend their way among 25 European countries and several central EU institutions. While all U.S. agencies suffer from this problem, the State Department is among the worst afflicted, as it is still organized on traditional lines to deal with countries, not regions. It is particularly unsuited for dealing with a unique regional entity like the EU. The net result of these problems: American officials and experts often feel that the United States has been outwitted; that it is playing a shell game and losing.
For full text of article, see Orbis, Winter 2005, pp. 117-132.