The Transatlantic Policy Center, based at American University in Washington, DC, invites paper and panel proposals for its conference entitled “Contemporary Challenges Facing the Transatlantic Alliance.” The conference will take place on 15^th and 16^th June 2022 on the campus of American University, and the current plan is for a hybrid event, with a mix of in-person and virtual panels, should health regulations permit it. 

The challenges faced by Europe and the United States are multi-dimensional, defying simple solutions from a singular viewpoint. We encourage proposals from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. We particularly welcome submissions by junior scholars, advanced graduate students, and colleagues working on transatlantic relations from outside of the European Union, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

We especially encourage paper and panel proposals on subjects that resonate with the core themes of expertise and interest of the Transatlantic Policy Center, namely 1) security and technology 2) rule of law and democratic backsliding 3) trade and regulations and 4) migration and integration.

The conference aims to take a comparative lens to understand some of the core challenges faced by Europe and the United States. The collective sigh of relief following the end of the Trump presidency notwithstanding, the United States and its European allies remain at odds over a wide range of issues. Many European states lag in their contributions to NATO. At the same time, the United States remains suspicious of European plans for strategic autonomy. 

Differences in how to approach potential adversaries have flared up in the case of Russia over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, in the case of China over trade and investment, and in the case of Iran over the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

On trade, Europe and the United States remain involved in several disputes over tariffs as well as regulatory issues. Europe and the US further butt heads over regulatory issues in areas such as climate change policy, the taxation of multinational corporations, and internet governance. 

Democracy, the set of values around which the transatlantic alliance is constituted, is far from safe. The dual challenges of immigration and integration have exposed deep societal fault lines on both sides of the Atlantic and populist movements threaten to undermine democratic institutions. Within the European Union, this has resulted in a confrontation between the institutions in Brussels and member-states Hungary and Poland over the rule of law.

The conference will be particularly interested in understanding the areas of divergence and convergence between Europe and the United States, as well as within Europe, when it comes to the challenges listed above. Where are the differences the greatest? What are the opportunities for allies on both sides to overcome their differences and develop common diagnoses and responses to these difficult problems? What are specific obstacles that can be identified?

How to submit a proposal

This will intentionally be a small conference. Participation will be limited, so to provide detailed feedback and prepare the papers presented for eventual publication in an edited volume. The deadline for submissions of proposals is the 31 of January 2022. Panel and individual paper proposals, as well as questions about the conference and participation, should be sent by e-mail to the Program Chairs, Garret Martin and Michelle Egan, at dt0531a@student.american.edu. The proposals should be no longer than 500 words, and be followed by a short biography. 

The conference organizers will notify all applicants by mid-February and plan to cover the travel and accommodation costs of the selected participants.