Economic Aspects of an Atlantic Community

The existence of an Atlantic Community with important economic aspects is revealed in the past and present relations among the countries of western Europe and North America. This Community is something less than the fusion of the nations of the Atlantic area advocated by some; it is something more comprehensive and more pervasive than the organizational alternative to “partnership” that others mean by the word. The Atlantic Community dealt with in this article is a state of affairs more than a concept; it does not have to be precisely delineated so long as we can discern its solid central mass. This Atlantic Community—such as it is, and whatever exactly it is—is the child of history and policy. Both genealogies are clearly established and well-known; to recall them helps pose the major questions of the present and future