LONDON -- When the war in Iraq ended, politicians, diplomats and commentators in Europe stressed the need to repair the rift that had grown up between the United States and countries led by France and Germany, which had opposed the invasion. There was a general anticipation that relations would revert to their prewar condition with a number of disagreements continuing on specific policy areas but with an overall attempt to work together as far as possible.
Two months on, that has not happened. Rather than the fall of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein signaling the start of a period of reconciliation between Washington and its critics, it seems that the war merely confirmed a growing divergence across the Atlantic that now gives a much sharper edge to the range of disputes between the U.S. and what U.S. Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld termed "old Europe."
Take trade for example. There is nothing new in disputes in this area between the U.S. and the European Union. In recent years, they have wrangled over agricultural subsidies, steel and corporate taxation systems.