Europe's first attempts at a united foreignpolicy after 1969 were remarkably successfulbut by 1974 this brief moment of concord hadvanished. Why were the EC countries able tospeak with one voice in the early 1970s, whatcaused European Political Cooperation toplunge into crisis, and what consequences -still felt today - did this have for Europe's rolein the world and its relations with the US? Thisgroundbreaking book is the first to analyse thisperiod using previously unavailable archivalmaterial and first-hand interviews. European Foreign Policy during the Cold War_x000D_illuminates the challenge of establishing Europe_x000D_as an effective political power with brilliant_x000D_clarity. Daniel Mckli argues that Britain's_x000D_unusually pro-European policies under Edward_x000D_Heath were the key driving force behind_x000D_Europe's rise, paving the way for trilateral_x000D_leadership with West German Chancellor Willy_x000D_Brandt and French President Georges_x000D_Pompidou. In the years following the momentous_x000D_Hague Summit of 1969, which opened the_x000D_door to British membership of the European_x000D_Community, the EC countries were a dynamic_x000D_international force. They petitioned the Soviet_x000D_Union about human rights, negotiated with the_x000D_US about a reorganisation of the West and_x000D_became involved in the search for peace in_x000D_the Middle East._x000D__x000D_However, Europe's quest for a distinct political_x000D_identity provoked a sharp US reaction, most_x000D_significantly from Henry Kissinger. Confronted_x000D_with strong US opposition against an_x000D_autonomous European foreign policy, the EC_x000D_countries ended up openly divided over how_x000D_to respond to the 1973 oil crisis and problems_x000D_in the Middle East while Britain increasingly_x000D_withdrew from EC politics under Harold Wilson._x000D_European diplomacy declined into crisis in_x000D_1974 and remained of relatively low impact_x000D_for the remainder of the Cold War._x000D_European Foreign Policy during the Cold War_x000D_fills an important gap in the history of Europe,_x000D_covering an issue that is highly topical and_x000D_controversial today.