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EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
The Bureau of European Affairs
is headed by Assistant Secretary Marc Grossman. The Bureau is responsible
for developing, coordinating, and implementing U.S. foreign
policy on a variety of issues that deal with national security, economic prosperity,
democracy, human rights, protection of the environment, halting the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction, and combating terrorism and international
crime.
Europe poses several large challenges for U.S. foreign policy. The United States and European countries are still engaged settling their relations with each other in a transition from the the Cold War to the multipolar world of today.
Europe has been drawn ever closer by the ties of the European Union. Established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the European Community continues to gain momentum. Borders between member nations have been opened, and bodies set up that are increasing communication and cooperation between much of the continent. Perhaps the most visible recent acomplishment of the Union was the introduction of a common currency, the Euro, in 1999.
These developments though, have raised question concerning the role of NATO (North American Treaty Organization) within the European Union, and the role of the United States in the defense of the continent no longer haunted by the specter of a communist invasion.
So, while the war in Kosovo, has raised concerns by Europeans that their militaries rely too much on the United States, the recent development of a missile defense system by the United States has created concern among many of the same European leaders that the United States might pursue a more isolationist policy - leaving the Europeans on their own.
The development of the missile system, in conjunction with the failure of the Senate to ratify a key nuclear arms control agreement in 1998, has caused Europeans to begin to doubt the resolve of the United States to nuclear arms control, a conorstone of U.S. foreign policy.
The recent expansion of NATO to include several old Eastern bloc countries has raised concern in Russia. Russia continues to struggle with corruption and capitalism, and recent financial troubles has led to a decline in Russian power that many Russians are acutely aware of. This situation has created a tight rope that the United States must walk on to pursue its policy objectives without unduely slighting Russian sensibilities.
The Balkans continue to be a troubled area in Europe. As the Iron Wall fell a decade ago, states began to break off from Yugoslavia. This led to vicious ethnic civil wars. Though much of the fighting was ended as a result of the Dayton Accords in the mid 90s, tensions still boil over. As the new millenium dawns, maintaining peace in the Balkans will continue to prove a challenge for the United States and Europe, as it has for centuries.
For more information, please contact the official State Department Bureau for European Affairs at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/index.html.
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