This book arises out of a series of seminars hosted by the European University Institute beginning in spring 2002 and concluding in spring 2004. These seminars were organized by the Transatlantic Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, with generous funding for the series provided by BP. The seminars addressed the political, economic, cultural, and ideological dimensions of the crisis in Atlantic relations associated with the 2003 war in Iraq. The seminars benefited from the contributions of distinguished participants from both sides of the Atlantic.

For an American, the EUI is an unusual vantage point from which to observe Atlantic relations. As Senior Research Fellow in Transatlantic Relations, I was in residence as the Atlantic relationship sharply deteriorated in the months immediately before the war. It was from this self-consciously European institution that I witnessed the rising tensions that accompanied the final move towards hostilities and the mutual recriminations that later accompanied Iraq's occupation. During the seminar series that addressed these topics, the views expressed were sometimes controversial and the discussions often vigorous. Always, however, the seminars were marked by a seriousness of purpose, an attention to intellectual rigor, and a generosity of spirit. These qualities are in the best tradition of academic discourse, and I commend both our visitors and my Institute colleagues for adhering to such high standards.