The Atlantic burden-sharing debate - widening or fragmenting?

The Atlantic burden-sharing debate during the early part of the twenty-firs t century is shaping up to be very different from those of NATO's first fif ty years. The resources needed for direct defence of western Europe have fa llen sharply, and further cuts are possible. The gradual strengthening of E uropean cooperation means that the EU is becoming an actor in its own right in many international regimes. Debates about which countries are pulling t heir weight internationally are also taking into account contributions to n on-military international public goods-financing EU enlargement, aiding the Third World, reducing emissions of climate-damaging pollutants. In this ne w multidimensional debate, it becomes more apparent that states that contri bute more to one regime often do less than most in another. Germany, for ex ample, is concerned about its excessive contribution to the costs of EU enl argement, but it spends considerably less than France and the UK on defence . European countries contribute three times as much as the United States to Third World aid, and will soon pay almost twice as much into the UN budget . Yet they were dependent on the US to provide most of the military forces in the 1999 Kosovo conflict, and would be even more dependent in the event of a future Gulf war. This widening of the burden-sharing debate contains both dangers and opport unities. It could lead to a fragmentation of the Atlantic dialogue, with ea ch side talking past the other on an increasing number of issues, ranging f rom global warming to Balkan peacekeeping. In order to avoid such a dangero us situation, the US and European states should maintain the principle that all must make a contribution to efforts to tackle common problems, whether it be through troops in Kosovo or commitments to reducing greenhouse gas e missions. Yet there should also be some flexibility in defining who does ho w much. The preparedness of some countries to lead, by doing more, will be essential if international cooperation is to have a chance to work.