Toward a New Atlanticism.

This article traces the concept of the New Atlanticism from 1989, when it was proposed by then Secretary of State James Baker, to the present, when a number of European and American leaders are calling for the creation of a transatlantic political institution that would be empowered to address global problems ranging from humanitarian crises to socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental concerns. Because the objectives of the New Atlanticism transcend the overarching objective of security that NATO was established to acheive, they require a new institution formed specifically to ameliorate or resolve a number of interrelated problems manifest in the world. In its advocacy of a New Atlanticism, this article raises the fundamental question designed to determine whether a new Atlantic Partnership will be formed: Is Europe willing and able to act on the knowledge that it is in its own interests to help the United States resolve crises in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, where the national interests of the United States are at stake? In other words, will Europe become America's indispensable partner? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]