It is my pleasure to introduce the new journal of the TransAtlantic Masters Program, TransAtlantic Perspectives. The goal of this online publication is to draw upon the unique qualifications of TAM students and to use web technology to provide information for scholars, students, and others interested in Europe.

A journal featuring the insights of TAM students who are working within the academic culture of European countries is a logical extension of the philosophy of the TAM program itself. TAM trains students in the historical, political, and social structures of the transatlantic arena and asks them to consider how different histories and outlooks shape current policy decisions. After studying in Chapel Hill, where they gain an overview into comparative politics and the framework of transatlantic comparisons, students move to Europe, where they study at universities in the Czech republic, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. TransAtlantic Perspectives gives TAM students the opportunity to apply their writing and analytical skills while highlighting the utility of area studies and the need for nuanced approaches to problems both in the US and abroad. 

Perspectives from across the Atlantic mean differing approaches to lead news stories in the United States, as well as insights into events that may occupy publics in Europe but receive little attention in American mainstream media. Our first issue of TransAtlantic Perspectives features both vantage points.  The main focus of the issue is on the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the ensuing American war on terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Our field reporters in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Spain reflect upon the impact of September 11th and how different perspectives have shaped how the acts themselves are viewed. 

As Brian Swint notes in his article, the view from France is one shaped by anti-American sentiments but one also tempered by sympathy for the victims. Citing examples from the daily press, investigative journalism, and television shows, Swint argues that the French public has grown increasingly leery of what seems to be American unilateralism. More than traditional French fears of American global culture, however, this criticism seems to focus on American hypocrisy and heavy-handedness. Swint also cites differences in public culture in France and the US, remarking upon the presence of intellectuals in mainstream debates as well as the more critical tone of the press in general. 

Olivia Voils makes similar observations about the situation in Germany, but her perspective on September 11 is one that asks how Germans have responded to American demands to participate in military actions. Voils places the present discussion about the deployment of troops into an extended debate about the role of the military in German foreign policy and society in general, and to ever-present concerns about Germany’s unmasterable past. Voils argues that the present debate marks a step forward in the development of German willingness to commit troops and perhaps marks as well a change in US-German relations for the future. 

Seth Capron in his article focuses on a remnant of the Cold War that has become a target of potential terrorist activity as well as a source of tension between the US and the Czech Republic: the broadcast center of Radio Free Europe. Relocated to Prague in 1995, the tower was once a sign of improving relations between the US and the democratic Czech Republic. Now, demands that the US remove the tower seem to point to Czech frustrations with American unilateralism as well as perhaps an unwillingness to be the target of terrorism aimed at the United States, rather than the Czech Republic. 

Caroline Travalia in Madrid adds a further dimension to the war on terrorism by noting that in Spain, the war on terrorism is not one necessarily against Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan, but against Basque activists who have terrorized Spaniards for decades in their efforts to establish a separate Basque nation. Travalia also sees President Aznar’s anti-terrorist rhetoric and policies within a larger framework of European cooperation that would increase Spain’s profile within the EU. 

We hope that you enjoy this inaugural issue of our journal, and we look forward to providing readers with transatlantic perspectives in the months and years to come.