Now that Barack Obama will remain in the White House for another four years, there are hopes that the transatlantic relationship will be revived.
Besides security, the special relationship between Europe and the United States has been based on shared values of democracy, the state of law, and the free market.
That relationship has come under strain in recent years, not just because the Cold War is over. The war in Iraq, the Guantanamo Bay detention center, and the euro crisis, have exposed deep cultural differences between both sides. Here they are, a list from a European perspective that is certainly incomplete and also presented in no particular order.
Most Americans support the death penalty. On November 6, in California, Proposition 34, an initiative to replace the death penalty with a sentence of life without parole, was narrowly defeated by a vote of 53% to 47%.
They believe torture is acceptable in war.
They believe in projection of military force first, and soft power second.
They oppose gun control.
They are intrinsically optimistic.
They are stoical. Look at how they pick themselves up after natural catastrophes.
They believe in opportunity. Aspiring immigrants dream of obtaining a Green Card in order to work and settle in the United States.
They believe individuals hold the key to success and happiness. They scorn Europe’s reliance on the nanny state.
They take religion seriously and abortion remains a big issue.
They are extraordinarily philanthropic and generous. Look how universities, hospitals, research centers, museums, and foundations are funded.
They invest in innovation.
They take risks.
They invest in talent.
They are mobile.
Unions are distrusted.
The cost of medical care is prohibitive, yet compulsory medical insurance is controversial, as Obama knows all too well.
Vacations are short, and maternity leave is minimal.
Climate change is not a big issue.
Despite all of those differences, Americans are culturally and politically still our closest allies in the world. And it’s not a bad thing, either, if our outlook on life gets challenged every so often.
Comments(4)
This article only reiterates the same old clichés that are frequently stated about the differences between the US and the EU but do little to explore them with any substance. Firstly, take the death penalty. If you claim that most Americans support the death penalty, should you not say the same about EU residents as a whole? While the majorities of West European citizenry do not support it (which is still debatable considering opinions in the UK and France), they did before the death penalty was banned and majorities of EU citizens in Central and Eastern Europe still prefer the death penalty despite their states’ decisions to outlaw it. In terms of projecting military power first, from where do you base your conclusions? Soft power as a term was invented to address American international influence while the EU’s lack of a military arm is due to internal quarrelling and the overarching security presence of the United States in Europe. And how do you explain the UK and France’s lead in the late Libya intervention? A decade of EU soft power has ended with disastrous results; many new entrants to the EU do not meet its requirements and the EU is still incapable of creating a sustainable peace in Kosovo and Serbia despite the billions of euros being spent. What is there to be believed about soft power? The rest of your assertions are non sequiturs that do not adequately characterize the incredible variance of opinion among populations in the United States and Europe.
True, Judy used mental shortcuts to claim that trends and beliefs hold for the whole of the United States. Obviously, they don't. But by comparison with the EU—again, a disparate lot—most of her claims come out of opinion surveys and statistical data. And they ring true.
I echo the first comment—this is so stereotyped as to be silly. How about challenging your outlook on life by rejecting that list which is seriously stereotyped.
You seem to have read " The Pilgrims Play Book: A Guide In Living The Pilgrims Dream In America In 2015". America has always been any fairy tale you wish it to be. You live in a land of make believe. Reality can be overlooked and ignored.
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