Think Tank's Trans-Atlantic Advice: Europe Must Stop 'Fetishizing' American Relationship

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Indeed, little more than a pretty picture is expected from this week's EU-USA summit. One of the most importants issue for the staff of Jose Manuel Barroso is finding out whether the European Commission President will be able to have lunch with Obama. Europe's high ranking diplomats are annoyed that the Merkel has managed to steal so much of the limelight in the US because of her planned appearance before Congress. Those close to Merkel, however, are overjoyed by the honor.

And this is the way it's been for months. Driven by the fact that so many of their countrymen and women heartily approve of the new American president -- some European nations have as much 92 percent of the populace expressing approval for Obama -- European politicians are busy competing to try to outdo each other in showering their love and dedication on the new US president.

When Obama merely gave Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown a boxed set of DVDs after his visit to the US, the British press was quick to see it as a sign of the end of the United Kingdom's "special relationship" with Washington. The French were equally distraught when, during a visit there, Obama preferred to dine with his family in Paris than with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife. And the Germans are fretting because, although Obama came to Berlin as a presidential candidate, he still hasn't made an official state visit as president.

White House Doesn't Care About Nostalgia

The White House has no time for this sort of sentimentality and fuss. At the last EU-US summit in Prague in April, Obama's advisors were annoyed that their boss was assailed by each of the 27 member states separately. The US president consistently denies requests from European journalists and he imparted news of the end of the US missile defense shield -- which was to be based in their countries -- to the Czechs and Poles by phone. The European reaction to these kinds of rejections is predictable. They simply try even harder to get into Obama's good graces.

The study by the European Council on Foreign Relations strongly advises against this. Instead of this favor-mongering, the Europeans should set clear goals for foreign policy amongst themselves and communicate these to the Americans consensually, and with the same cool headedness that already exists among those working in trade and economics. Going into combat single handedly or clinging to sentimental memories of past partnerships won't get anyone anywhere.

Working Toward A 'Post-American' Future

When German Chancellor Merkel traveled to Washington in June to receive the Warburg Prize for her services to trans-Atlantic relations -- an honor given out by the Atlantik Brücke (or Atlantic Bridge), an important trans-Atlantic organization -- barely any members of the US Congress attended the ceremony. A Hawaiian-themed bash that Obama was throwing at the White House was far more important to them. And when asked whether this meant that American interest in Europe was waning, the German chancellor replied that, "obviously, we must always ensure that we remain interesting partners."

When Merkel goes to speak in front of Congress on Tuesday, the scene should be an impressive one. And, for one day at least, Merkel gets to be the voice of Europe. But next week someone else may get to play that role: Sarkozy, Brown or Spain's President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Any number of Europeans could take on the role. What doesn't change though is the challenge of keeping Europe interesting -- and influential.

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• Part 1: Europe Must Stop 'Fetishizing' American Relationship
• Part 2: German Chancellor Competes with EU for Limelight