A good many observers are noting the recent improvement in transatlantic ties, attributing it to the election of pro-American leaders in Germany and France, the fading of Iraq as a divisive issue, the mellowing of the Bush administration or some combination of the three. This belief is comforting, but it is bound to end in disappointment.

US-European relations are not about to become as good or as significant as they were in decades past. Some of the reasons for this are familiar: social differences, including an unequal emphasis on religion and differing views on abortion rights and the death penalty; lingering anti-Americanism resulting from the Iraq war, perceived US neglect of the Palestinian issue and both Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo; and generational and demographic changes on both sides of the ocean. Fewer Europeans regard Americans as their liberators; fewer Americans view Europeans as their ancestors.