Editor’s Corner

urope, it has long been said, is America’s most important and enduring international partner. There is much to lend credence to this argument. After all, the political, cultural and military bonds between the United States and its allies across the Atlantic have persisted for centuries, reinforced by economic cooperation and strengthened by periods of shared conflict.

Today, however, those bonds are changing dramatically. Political divisions and demographic pressures on the Old Continent, transatlantic discord over the Iraq war, and diverging views of new international security threats have all impacted the relationship between Europe and America, and not for the better. All of which has led some, like conservative columnist Mark Steyn, to conclude that—when it comes to the War on Terror and other 21st century challenges—America is well and truly alone.

It is more than fitting, therefore, that we turn our attention to the political and strategic changes taking place in Europe, and their implications for the United States. Our coverage kicks off with a feature article by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who outlines the scope of the common struggle against radical Islam. From there, the Center for Security Policy’s Alex Alexiev provides a comprehensive—and chilling—analysis of the demographic decline taking place on the Old Continent, and the concomitant rise of a radical, unassimilated Muslim political class there.

In her contribution, Sally McNamara of the Heritage Foundation explores the new threat to the historic Special Relationship between the United States and England: an increasingly assertive Europe. Astrid Coeurderoy of the European Foundation for Democracy, meanwhile, charts the rise of a new, more activist foreign policy in France. Georgetown University’s Ulf Gartzke does the same for Germany, outlining how German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reversed her predecessor’s populist, anti-American line.

For his part, Janusz Bugajski of the Center for Strategic and International Studies explores the changing policies—and international postures—of the countries of “New Europe.” Two European experts, Borut Grgic and Alexandros Petersen of Slovenia’s Institute for Strategic Studies, contribute their recommendations for a new strategy for the continent’s energy security. The Heritage Foundation’s Peter Brookes demystifies the contours of the current debate taking place over European missile defense. And Victor Mizin of the Russian Academy of Sciences outlines the rationale behind Moscow’s recent nuclear resurgence—and what it means for Washington. Our treatment is rounded out by a debate between two esteemed experts—Jamie Shea of NATO and the American Foreign Policy Council’s E. Wayne Merry—over the continued relevance of the Atlantic Alliance in the 21st century.

With this issue, we are also pleased to introduce a new regular feature—one in which we solicit the “Perspective” of leading statesmen and policy experts on a range of contemporary national security and foreign policy topics. Our first interviewee is an auspicious one indeed: former Deputy National Security Advisor J. D. Crouch II, one of the principal architects of American missile defense policy. This edition of The Journal also features a trio of “Dispatches” from foreign experts from India, England and Iraq, as well as reviews of important works on Chinese foreign policy, international relations theory, and Middle Eastern politics.

All in all, this issue of The Journal—like previous ones—offers a wealth of new critical thinking on some of the most important issues of the day. Thank you, as always, for taking part in the debate.