With a history equally rich and intensely, almost obsessively evoked in the discourse regarding European unity, our title phrase has a simple yet valuable meaning. It basically refers to the European Union and to all declaratory, legal or pragmatic actions that are adequately and rigorously taken so that this “union” is protected from trivialities, rendered efficient, and perceived in an equal and unbiased manner by all the parties that willingly joined it - the European citizens and the countries they belong to.

The significance of the transatlantic link in the architecture of the European security has been, over the years, a subject for debate for both the member states and the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. As in most cases, when important aspects regarding European defence and security are debated at the level of the European Union, opinions differ - from completely supporting the transatlantic link, to ensuring European security by its member states alone, by means of the Common Security and Defence Policy. These debates are the more relevant nowadays, when the European Union is more determined than ever in its evolution to build a security and defence profile that depicts the institution as guarantor of European security.

It will soon be two years since 9 December 2017 when Iraq’s former Prime Minister, Haidar Al-Abadi, triumphantly and solemnly announced the liberation of his country’s entire territory from the presence of the terrorist-jihadist organization, “The Islamic State” (DA‘ISH in Arabic) and consequently the end of the war against the terrorist-jihadist phenomenon in the land situated between the Tigris and the Euphrates.

As mentioned in the previous article - The Transatlantic Link - Current and Future Significance Part 1 – Challenges and Opportunities (Geostrategic Pulse, no. 274/May-June 2019), the author continues his view on the transatlantic link focusing on NATO’s role in European defence.

The transatlantic link is a complex and dynamic concept that covers all aspects of the relations between North America and Europe: military, security, political, economic, social etc. Practically, every component of what we call international relations finds itself in the transatlantic link. This is the reason why this concept can only be understood if analyzed thoroughly, while focusing on all aspects involving the security and defence of the Euro-Atlantic area (often called the transatlantic region), as well as on the contribution of the transatlantic community to international peace and security.