ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the history of European integration and American strategy. It investigates the main framework for the relationship and US dominance and interrogates the common interests and tensions in and between US-EU relations. The chapter examines the US-EU relationship following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It traces the attempts of Western European states for preponderance and questions how the changing scenario of the post-Cold War era has affected US-EU relations. The British plan was to allow neutral EU members to opt out of mutual defence forces, whilst clearing the way for those that want tighter co-operation on defence issues to proceed. The neo-realists have misread the scripts of the grand strategy of the United States. The chapter discusses the arguments developed; it highlights that despite the undeniable tensions in the relationship between the EU and the US, the EU remains a supporter of, rather than a competitor to US hegemony.
