Friendly Fire: The Near-Death of the Transatlantic Alliance (EUSA's U.S. -Eu Relations Project) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Pond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003 | ISBN-10: 0815771533 | ISBN-13: 978-0815771531

Elizabeth Pond examines a number of disputes - chronic trade quarrels, the International Criminal Court, the Kyoto Protocol, Israeli-Palestinian violence, and Iraq - and identifies the ways in which they reinforce and exacerbate one another. European governments have accepted a rhetorical responsibility for global (and not just European) security, but the dearth of defence funding in Europe, disagreements over tactics, and the bad American temper toward the Europeans have added to the estrangement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a commonplace among opponents of the recent war in Iraq that by invading that country, the U.S. administration squandered the worldwide sympathy and goodwill America had enjoyed after September 11. Elizabeth Pond's book, which is a careful analysis of the widening rift between America and Europe from 2001 to mid-2003, shows that matters are not quite so simple." —John Derbyshire, National Review, The New York Sun, 2/18/2004

"What sets this book apart from so many other tales of Iraq-related woe is precisely its Fermano-centric perspective..." —David G. Haglund, Queen's University, International Journal

"Many analyses will follow, but few will match [Pond's in her commitment and dash.... Emphatically describes the motives of the actors, traces how variously the viewpoints of Europeans, Americans, and neoconservatives —long live the subtle difference —were shaped by each group's experiences and ambitions." —Christoph Bertram, Transatlantic Internationale Politik, 2/1/2004

About the Author

Elizabeth Pond is a journalist based in Germany. Currently a correspondent for the Washington Quarterly, she was a longtime European correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. She is the author, most recently, of Friendly Fire: The Near-Death of the Transatlantic Alliance (Brookings, 2003) and The Rebirth of Europe (Brookings, revised 2002).

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815771533
• ISBN-13: 978-0815771531
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,879,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated & Non-Comprehensive, October 19, 2004

By 

Thames (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friendly Fire: The Near-Death of the Transatlantic Alliance (EUSA's U.S. -Eu Relations Project) (Paperback)

Ms. Pond does a great deal of research for her piece, Friendly Fire, and the depth of her knowledge shows. She is able to cite with authority much of the progression of events and media coverage of the fallout between the United States and Europe up until immediately following the swift US victory against Saddam Hussein.

However, her book unfortunately includes several issues that have since either been refuted or made irrelevant by subsequent disputes. The Plame affair, involving Ambassador Wilson, have been thoroughly debunked, while relations between the allies underwent even more convulsions in the reconstruction period of the Coalition occupation of Iraq.

It cannot be said that this incompletenes is her fault, but for someone looking for a more complete review of post-9/11 US-European relations, this offers only half of the tale. Further, as she is a correspondent in Germany, he work is heavily weighted toward the US-German relationship, almost entirely ignoring the French leadership's crusade against American "hyperpower." Still, if you are looking for an in-depth exploration of the US-German relationship from 9/11 until the victory against Saddam, this is more than sufficient, clear and well-researched.