Ideological convergence: a new way.

• Author: Grapin, Jacqueline
• Position: Letter from the Publisher

In the seven years since George W. Bush succeeded Bill Clinton as President, ideological divergence between the United States and the European Union has come to be considered the natural state of Transatlantic affairs. In the U.S., religiosity has been channeled into electoral politics while in Europe secularist ideals have been reinforced by the challenge of Islamicist extremism. Europeans are massively opposed to the death penalty while Americans seem to support it. Psychologically, Europe tends to be on the left--in contrast to a U.S. that seems to be on the right. European voters frequently vote left-of-center governments into office and even European countries with conservative governments are in practice to the left of the U.S. because of their higher degree of concern about issues of social protection.

This picture will probably be altered by leaders of a new generation in Europe who will influence a period of important transformations. For a decade, the U.S. and the EU have talked about achieving "regulatory convergence." That effort has had only limited results in bridging differences in national approaches.

But now, suddenly, it seems we may be on the cusp of something much bigger. Could it be that we are heading into a period of ideological convergence?

Already, Europe seems to be in a phase where doctrinal labels matter less. Nicolas Sarkozy has a credo and practice that defies classification into any classical political doctrine. His view is that France needs an economic and political overhaul to restore institutional credibility and "be back in Europe." Gordon Brown is an adept of "the third way" invented by the British left, but he has made it clear that he intends to concentrate more on results than on political and rhetorical glamour. And Angela Merkel, a Christian Democrat by instinct and affiliation, found herself obliged to govern through a coalition with the Social Democrats. In the U.S., the upcoming electoral campaign is likely to demonstrate that many Americans strongly share some of these European concerns. Many candidates recognize demands in the electorate for better health coverage and other changes to reduce an array of often-shocking inequalities.

The new European leaders have become adept at dealing elegantly with contradictions. Punning on the old fascination with unidentified flying objects, France's Le Monde said recently that "Sarko-ism" can be defined as "an unidentified doctrine." In the newspaper's...