U.S. should allow EU to defend itself.

• Position: Americans Abroad - European Union

Efforts by the European Union to develop common defense and foreign policies for member states--in addition to, and, at times, independent of, NATO--have set the stage for a fundamental restructuring of the security relationship between the U.S. and Europe in the future. Although some foreign policy experts dismiss such plans as shallow or even a threat to the U.S., American policymakers should embrace the EU's desire to assume responsibility for its own defense, contends former U.S. Foreign Service officer Leslie S. Lebl.

In "European Union Defense Policy: An American Perspective," Lebl, with 24 years experience in European political and defense issues, argues that, if the European Union decides it wants to assume responsibility for the defense of Europe, the U.S. should negotiate a new security relationship with those nations. Moreover, she states that the EU already has signaled a strong preference for such a situation, as evidenced in the recently adopted European Security Strategy.

"It is not clear that the EU will be able to meet the challenge of defending itself, but it makes no sense not to see if it can do so," Lebl reasons. "To encourage continued progress toward European self-sufficiency, as well as to meet its own strategic objectives, the U.S. should seek the 'lightest footprint' possible, including substantial troop reductions throughout Europe."

The EU already has committed itself to crisis management...