Europe

Europe's Support in the 21st Century

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 "The individual countries of the European Union immediately reacted to the attack with an extension of support and condolences to the United States. The majority of the countries supported the call by U.S. president George W. Bush to hunt down and punish the terrorist perpetuators wherever they may be. Almost all of the members of the EU promised to support Bush and stand by the United States" (Bapat). British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said that any retaliation must be based on evidence. France and Germany, though supportive of the United States, were skeptical about Bush's approach to fighting terrorism, and stated that retaliation did not need to strictly military. ​ Even though the United States and Europe did not fully agree on how to approach the terrorism in Iraq, the "EU Commission President Jose Barroso said Europe and the United States share a commitment to promoting freedom and democracy the world over, a major theme of the Bush presidency and a key argument Bush has used in defending his invasion of Iraq" (Benedetto). The United States and the European Union are working together to establish democracy in Iraq. Both the European Union and the United States oppose the development and spreading of nuclear weapons.

During his presidency, George Bush visited many European countries to discuss foreign relations. While he was in Austria, Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schussel said that the Middle East will have to welcome American involvement. Also, in Austria, Bush and Schussel discussed a plan to end nuclear activity in foreign countries. Both leaders agreed on the fact that negotiations would be needed in order for other countries to give up their development of nuclear weapons.

President Bush then traveled to Vienna and Budapest to discuss terrorism. At a news conference in Vienna, President Bush was asked how he felt about Europeans viewing the United States as the largest threat to global stability, and Bush replied that this was a ridiculous statement, because the United States was attempting to help unstable governments in foreign countries. The president of Budapest said both the United States and Budapest have an obligation to fight terrorism.