EUROPE OUT OF RADAR SCREEN ON U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Judging from the latest debate on U.S. Foreign Policy, it seems the Old Continent is no longer a priority for the United States. Europe was hardly mentioned and U.S. EU Relations are not high on the agenda of either Obama or Mitt Romney. Ignoring the significance in improving closer ties will only help jeopardize European and American interests.

The European perception of declining American interest and involvement in European affairs combined with what has been called 'American Euro-fatigue' may already be creating a downward cycle in the vitality of the relationship. The continuing drag on the U.S. economy resulting from Europe's financial difficulties illustrates all too well the inescapable mutul interdependence in today's international economy. And the fact that the 2008 American financial crisis helped stimulate Europe's current difficulties makes it clear that it is a two-way street. Ignoring the importance of developing even closer transatlantic cooperation on all fronts would be perilous for both American and European interests.

American interests and influence in the Pacific region, supposedly the target of the current pivot toward Asia, would be weakened should the foundation of American power in the transatlantic area second stage, Asian leaders will be watching to see whether the America that is engaged in their region is backed up by solid transatlantic ties.

Finally and as regards the current tumult in many arab countries, both the U.S. and the EU should acknowledge that it is in their common interest to ensure peace and support the establishment of democratic regimes in what is probably the most dangerous region of the world. Giving their overlapping interests, it would be useful to develop a common strategy by which the U.S. and the EU could combine their strengths and advantages while offsetting their weaknesses. Despite the necessity to develop a joint approach, we are still astonishing far from devising such a strategy and it would have been useful for both Obama and Romney to at least mention it.