European Union Security in the 21st Century and the Transatlantic Link

This study was composed within the framework of the United State Army War College USAWC educational program. Its scope will be limited to the most necessary elements of the European Union EU security background, and to a brief historical European course, either as a vision of some leader-figures towards a total EU security system END, or as a necessity, driven by economic need for a competitive large common market WAYS. However, the current functions of the relevant security organizations MEANS, do not seem to have accomplished the dream of a unified Europe, to form a federation, confederation, or even a loose confederation. The intent, after all, is not to provide historical information, but to show continuous and dynamic change in the scene of EU security. The study will focus particularly on brief sketching of the trends that have prevailed over European interstate relationships and which keep on forming a dynamic polymorph of organizations. Current global economic trends and new security threats, faced by a new North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO, the EU and the United States U.S., within the new world order may transform values from a national level to a European level, possibly affecting transatlantic western partners in the areas of economics, security and institutions. An evaluation of the dynamic change of interlocking organizations as a whole will lead to a rough estimate or snapshot, through three main scenarios, about the type of security link between EU-U.S.. The paper will address the current belief that NATO will remain the sole security organization for Europe in the 21st century. Also the belief that, due to EUs independent development, the transatlantic link may be forced to grow as a result of the will of the homogenous peoples of the western world to face global competition, globalization trends and asymmetric threats.