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Analysis: For U.S.-EU, A Wary Embrace

Council on Foreign Relations

Updated: June 21, 2006
Prepared by: Michael Moran

Determined to present a unified front to Iran on nuclear proliferation, President Bush and the current leader of the European Union, Austria's Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, warned Tehran (VOA) to respond soon to a recent offer of political and economic inducements or face a UN Security Council debate on economic sanctions. The two also cautioned North Korea against sabre-rattling in East Asia.

But dissonance continued on other fronts and forced Bush to accept the inclusion of language in the summit's joint communique meant to address European concerns (Deutsche Welle) about a variety of moves in the U.S.-led "war on terror," including the detention without charge of hundreds in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The leaders of the world's two largest economic blocs failed to settle on a formula to lower agricultural subsidies, an issue which threatens to undermine the world trade talks due to resume in Geneva next week. While Bush told a post-summit news conference he is committed to a deal (BBC), The Heritage Foundation's Nile Gardiner notes "it looks increasingly unlikely that an agreement will be reached at the World Trade Organization by the end of July as originally hoped." The subsidy issue in the Doha trade round is explained in this Backgrounder.

CFR's top analyst on Europe, Charles Kupchan, says unity on Iran far outweighs other EU issues in American eyes right now.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.