Beyond the West: Terrors in transatlantia

One of the least expected but most significant events of recent years is that which led to a profound crisis in the transatlantic relationship. The argument advanced here is that the split between a number of European states and the United States of America not only casts doubt on the idea of the 'West' but also brings into question various liberal theories of international politics that suggest that the two regions are so bound together by ideology, interest and institutions that a serious disagreement between them was, and presumably remains, unlikely. This it is suggested both fails to explain the original rift and underestimates the very profound differences that continue to divide the US and Europe. A more complex and abrasive kind of relationship is in the making. Unfortunately, those who have thus far tended to shape the debate about the transatlantic relationship in general, and indeed the extent of US hegemony in particular, either seem historically unable or theoretically unwilling to grasp the extent of change now occurring in one of the most important regions in the international system.