Who Will Defend Europe?

The special relation of the United States to western Europe since the end of the Second World War has been based on three premises: 1) western Europe is not able to assure its own defense against Soviet Russia;

2) the U.S. is able to assure Europe’s defense; 3) the U.S. is willing to do so. From these three premises, two conclusions automatically follow: a) the formation of an “Atlantic” alliance—i.e., a military coalition including both western Europe and North America; b) the leadership of the U.S. in the alliance.

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James Burnham

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The special relation of the United States to western Europe since the end of the Second World War has been based on three premises: 1) western Europe is not able to assure its own defense against Soviet Russia;

2) the U.S. is able to assure Europe’s defense; 3) the U.S. is willing to do so. From these three premises, two conclusions automatically follow: a) the formation of an “Atlantic” alliance—i.e., a military coalition including both western Europe and North America; b) the leadership of the U.S. in the alliance.