The transatlantic relationship has been a defining feature of the international order since the end of the Second World War. But more than eighty years later, how much of that relationship remains—and how much has fundamentally changed? Historian Margaret MacMillan examines the evolution of relations between Europe and the United States, placing the uncertainties of 2026 in their longer historical context. From the creation of the post-war international order and NATO to the end of the Cold War and the emergence of new geopolitical challenges, she considers the forces that have held the transatlantic alliance together and those that have tested it. What can the history of the relationship tell us about its current tensions? And as Europe and the United States reassess their interests, responsibilities and place in the world, what might the transatlantic relationship become?
