A few years after World War II, when the North Atlantic Treaty was ratified in the United States and our relationship with Europe was cemented, President Harry Truman said simply, "The more closely the nations of the Atlantic community can work together for peace, the better for all people, everywhere."
The decades since have proven him right. And, as our trans-Atlantic relationship has grown both stronger and more expansive, so has democracy, prosperity and stability in Europe, the United States and around the globe.
But, though the trans-Atlantic relationship today is as strong and as critical as ever, there is no question that we are in the midst of a defining moment for our partnership.