(...) All the positive change in tone on the U.S. side does not necessarily mean easier negotiations or any benefits for Europe in the long run. Paradoxically enough, the more jovial the atmosphere, the more some European governments will be tempted to make concessions, abandon common EU positions and drop even the idea of self-assertion vis-a-vis the U.S. That would only add to the relationship’s asymmetry. The challenge, for Europeans, is to strike the right balance: seize the opportunity of a less confrontational American stance, without reverting back to old reflexes of excessive deference. 

Introduction: the roller-coaster matrix

1. A frozen (més)alliance

2. The Biden moment: hit or miss

3. The ‘a’-word curse

Conclusion: the virtues of clarification

(Bonus: Quo vadis Central Europe?)

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