After years of mutual resentment and tension, there is a sudden recognition that the real interests of America and its European allies are diverging sharply and that the trans-atlantic relationship itself has changed, possibly irreversibly. Europe sees the United States as high-handed, unilateralist, and unnecessarily belligerent; the United States sees Europe as spent, unserious, and weak. The anger and mistrust on both sides are hardening into incomprehension....

Addresses the challenges and questions confronting the modern-day liberal democratic world, from the competition among powerful nations to the violent struggle of radical Islam, and calls for a new approach on the part of the liberal world to shape the future.