The role and importance of the United States in international affairs is far from a new subject - it has been the subject of debate for quite some time. A new dimension to the currently ongoing debate though is the decrease in US power (which has remained largely unchallenged since the end of the Cold War). For decades, the prevailing view has been that a very limited number of global issues can be resolved without America. With the financial crisis, questionable foreign policy choices and growing global competition from other international actors, most notably China, does this view still hold? Is US decline inevitable and what does it imply? If decreasing US power is indeed a fact, how will the US manage this new situation and what will be its influence be in the future ? What will become of the United States? Will it remain a leading power, one of many powers or just a regional power?

At the same time, the United States has clear expectations towards its European partners. As President Obama put it recently: "We want strong allies. We are not looking to be patrons of Europe. We are looking to be partners of Europe". He spoke specifically of European defence capabilities, but this attitude can nonetheless be traced in other areas ranging from the war in Afghanistan, the Middle East Peace Process, the fight against terrorism or the economic recovery. So what kind of partner should the European Union aim to be?