To take account of the important changes taking place in Europe and in the evolving transatlantic relationship, Brookings in April 2004 launched the Center on the United States and Europe. The Center offers a forum for research, high-level dialogue, and public debate on issues affecting U.S.-Europe relations.

The Center's research program focuses on three key areas: the United States and Europe in the global arena, including the Middle East, Asia and international order; the completion of the European zone of peace, including the Balkans, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine; and the consequences of European Union integration and enlargement for relations with the United States. The Center also houses Brookings' specific programs on France, Italy, and Turkey.

The Center produces an array of publications-books, monographs, articles and the regular, web-based U.S.-Europe Analysis Series-and convenes several forums throughout the year, including:

  • the Daimler-Chrysler U.S.-European Forum on Global Issues, a regular senior-level dialogue for policymakers that meets every six months;
  • the U.S.-Europe Roundtable Series, discussion groups with visiting European officials, politicians, business leaders, analysts and scholars;
  • Leadership Forums, public addresses by senior statesmen, officials, and politicians from Europe;
  • the Europe Center Annual Conference;
  • the annual Raymond Aron lecture given by a prominent French expert or official;
  • the Sakip Sabanci lecture.

In addition to a distinguished international advisory council, the Center staff is led by an accomplished team of scholars on Europe, including Brookings President Strobe Talbott; Vice-President and Director of Foreign Policy Carlos Pascual; Center Director Daniel Benjamin; Senior Fellows Justin Vaisse, Ivo Daalder and Fiona Hill; Fellows Vanda Felbab-Brown, Jeremy Shapiro, and Omer Taspinar; and a number of other Brookings scholars from various disciplines. Core sponsors of the Center include the Council for the United States and Italy, Daimler Corporation, Embassy of France, European Union - Delegation of the European Commission, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Luso-American Foundation, Sabanci Holding, Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association, and a number of generous individual donors.

Director

The Center on the United States and Europe is directed by Daniel Benjamin, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies program. Prior to Brookings, Mr. Benjamin was a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (2001-2006) and at the United States Institute of Peace (2000).

Previously, he served as the Director for Transnational Threats in the National Security Council (1998-1999) and was also Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Presidential Speechwriter (1994-1997). Before serving in the government he was a journalist with various publications, including Germany Bureau Chief, the Wall Street Journal (1993-1994); Germany Correspondent, TIME Magazine (1990-1992); Staff Writer, TIME Magazine (1988-1989). He has authored and co-authored several books about Islamist terrorism including The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror and Strategy for Getting it Right (2005) and The Age of Sacred Terror (2002).

Center Staff

Andrew Moffatt, Assistant Director
Johanna Peet, Research Assistant
Jeremy Shapiro, Director of Research and Fellow
Christine Shepherd, Center Coordinator

Funding

The Center sustains its activities through the generous support of private foundations, corporations, governments and individuals. These friends of the Center respect our scholars’ commitment to independent, nonpartisan research and publication, and to maintaining the highest level of integrity in pursuit of our mission.

Corporations and individuals who provide significant support for the Center become members of the Brookings Council, which provides them with a variety of opportunities to be involved in the life of the Institution. A full list of Brookings Institution contributors is provided in the Brookings annual report. To inquire about supporting the Center on the United States and Europe, please contact Assistant Director Andrew Moffatt at amoffatt@brookings.edu.