For the complete report by the csmonitor.com click on this link
The cracks separating the US and Europe are appearing along many of the same fault lines - the use of force, the impact of warfare on civilians, the definition of terrorism - that were exposed after 9/11 and the debate over war in Iraq. Those schisms had begun closing over the past year - especially with dogged effort by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - but are reemerging under the pressure of another Mideast war. "The willingness or refusal to engage your adversaries speaks to a larger difference, and it starts with the fact that the US, and this administration, tend to have a black-and-white view of the world," says Charles Kupchan, professor of American foreign policy at Georgetown University in Washington.
"The Europeans have suffered tremendously with war, so their instinct is to stop the fighting," says Jeswald Salacuse, a specialist in international conflict resolution at Tufts University's Fletcher School in Medford, Mass. "They don't see it resolving a crisis, but exacerbating things." Contrasting with that outlook is President Bush, who not only has resorted to force to resolve conflict, but also emphasizes Israel's right to use force to defend itself - especially in light of the 9/11 attacks. "This administration tends to see this conflict as an extension of the war on terror," notes Mr. Salacuse. "That has led to a tighter bond with Israel," which the administration sees as fighting the same foes that the US is, he says. But it hasn't tightened ties with the Europeans, "who see things differently," he says.
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