Political relations between the United States and Western Europe: their implications for Japan

Abstract

The term 'US-European relations' is of course an oversimplification. The expression actually covers several sets of relationships: the alliance relationship between the United States and its West European allies in NATO, the relationship between the United States and the European Community, and the bilateral relationships between the United States and the individual West European nations (including the neutral nations, Austria and Switzerland). The United States' subtly differing bilateral relationships with the major West European nations-the United Kingdom, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Spain-affect Japan's diplomacy in varying ways. But despite the vast historical and geographical differences between Western Europe and Japan, the US-European relationship has certain fundamental characteristics in common with the US-Japanese relationship. Both are based on the political concepts of freedom and democracy and on adherence to the market economy system. US-European relations are fundamentally cooperative. We can cite numerous areas of cooperation-joint approaches to the Eastern bloc, cooperation on issues like human rights and terrorism. However, I can think of three areas in which the political interests of the United States and Western Europe may differ and where particular efforts may therefore be required to coordinate national responses. The first area is in approaches to the Soviet Union and its East European allies. From time to time, closer coordination and mutual adjustment are required here on specific approaches to the Eastern bloc. Since the Western countries' economic relations with the East are of great political significance, this also applies to the West's economic and political/economic policies, such as those of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Strategic Export Controls (COCOM), the extension of official credits, and subsidized exports. The second area is the defence system and strategy in both nuclear and conventional forces. Here too, better coordination is needed if the present system is to be maintained and improved. One of the areas that needs attention, particularly in the