Atlanticism

:"For the belief in the legendary island civilization, see: Atlantis.

Atlanticism is a philosophy of cooperation among Western European and North American nations (specifically the United States and Canada) regarding political, economic, and defense issues, with the purpose to maintain the security of the participating countries, and to protect the values that unite them: "democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law." [ [http://www.bartleby.com/61/93/A0499300.html Atlanticism. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000 ] ] North Atlantic Council. [http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2006/p06-150e.htm "Riga Summit Declaration,"] 2006-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-10-13] One who shares the idea of Atlanticism is known as an Atlantist or an Atlanticist; the name derives from the Atlantic Ocean that separates the two continents — or, as sea-faring nations will say, the ocean that connects the two continents. Atlanticism is alien to continentalism.

The North Atlantic Council is the premier, governmental forum for discussion and decision-making in an Atlantic context. Well-known Atlanticists include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Javier Solana. NATO is an Atlanticist organization, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is an Atlanticist project. Leaders of Eastern European countries such as Poland and Romania profess a strong Atlanticist view - one does not have to live in Western Europe (or North America) to be an Atlanticist. [ [http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8492549 "The new kids on the block,"] The Economist, 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-10-14. Quote: "Romania, under its president, Traian Basescu, is a bastion of Atlanticism in the Black Sea region."]

Atlanticism has undergone significant changes in the 21st century in light of terrorism and the Iraq war, the net effect being a renewed questioning of the idea itself "and" a new insight that the security of the respective countries may require alliance action outside the North Atlantic territory. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, NATO for the first time invoked Article 5, [North Atlantic Council. [http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2001/p01-124e.htm "Statement by the North Atlantic Council,"] 2001-10-12. Retrieved on 2007-10-13] which states that any attack on a member state will be considered an attack against the entire group of members. Planes of NATO's multi-national AWACS unit patrolled the U.S. skies [NATO. [http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/1008/e1009b.htm "NATO Airborne Early Warning Aircraft Begin Deploying to the United States,"] 2001-10-09. Retrieved on 2007-10-13] [Schmitt, Eric. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3DF1231F931A35756C0A9649C8B63 "NATO Planes to End Patrol of U.S. Skies,"] The New York Times, 2002-05-02. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.] and European countries deployed personnel and equipment. [NATO, [http://www.nato.int/docu/speech/2001/s011004b.htm "Statement to the Press, by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson,"] 2001-10-04. Retrieved on 2007-10-13] In 2006, the North Atlantic Council declared that NATO's key priority was to contribute to the peace and stability in Afghanistan. By the end of 2006, the Atlantic organization had about 32,000 troops in Afghanistan (including 11,000 Americans under its command). [Shanker, Thom. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804EFD91031F932A15751C1A9609C8B63 "Leaving NATO, U.S. General Still Seeks Troops for Afghanistan,"] The New York Times, 2006-12-21. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.] However, the Iraq war caused fissures between certain Western European states and the US as well as Eastern European states such as Poland. Countries which supported the Iraq war, such as Spain and Italy, saw their generally pro-Iraq war governments lose in recent elections. Tony Blair, however, was re-elected, notwithstanding his relationship with President Bush, and support for the Iraq war. The implication of Romania and Poland in secret CIA-run prisons from 2003 to 2005 (both countries denied the existence of such prisons) hurt the Atlanticist idea. [Grey, Stephen, and Doreen Carvajal. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/world/europe/08prisons.html "Secret Prisons in 2 Countries Held Qaeda Suspects, Report Says,"] The New York Times, . Retrieved on 2007-10-14.] [ [http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8770396 "We were there for America,"] The Economist, 2007-03-01. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.] More recently, Germany, and, in May, 2007, France, saw the election of Atlanticist-leaning leaders, notwithstanding wide-spread, continuing opposition to the war in Iraq. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4462146.stm "European press review,"] BBC News, 2005-11-23. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.] [ [http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9149752 "The Gaullist revolutionary,"] The Economist, 2007-05-10. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.] On the other hand, rivalry between NATO and the European Union had by 2007 all but caused relations between the two organizations to break down. [ [http://www.economist.com/research/backgrounders/displaybackgrounder.cfm?bg=671921 "NATO,"] The Economist, 2007-07-05. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.]

ee also

*Transatlantic relations
*Euro-American relations
*Special relationship

*Eurasianism

*German Marshall Fund, an atlanticist think tank.

References