Alois Maichel

A Mid-term Assessment of Barack Obama. a New Transatlantic Chapter? Alois Maichel

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: USA, grade: 1,0, Munich University of Policy, course: Barack Obama and the Politics of Promise and Protest: A Mid-Term Assessment, language: English, abstract: The mid-term of a presidency in the United States (US) is a good time for a first assessment. In this paper, the focus is put on the state and outlook for the transatlantic relations between the US and the the EU member states. In the second chapter, we will set the definitions and the dimensions of the transatlantic relations. Chapter 3 comprises the thesis of this paper: the US-EU relation is an unbalanced relationship. There is a deeper relation in regard to defense and security than in other policy issues, and the relation is still based on intergovernmental coordination in forums like the NATO than between the US and the EU bodies. The assessment of the thesis for the first two years of President Obama's administration will be done in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 gives an approach for a New Transatlantic Chapter by deepening the economic integration of the transatlantic area.