The American-led war in Iraq, as well as bitter trade and environmental disputes, have strained relations between America and Europe as never before. They reveal a deep divergence of interests - and a growing contest of values - between US 'free-market' and religious fundamentalism and 'social' and secular Europe. At the same time the EU, with a population of over 450 million, the world's largest economy, and the euro firmly established, is on the verge of becoming a superpower to rival the United States. With a new constitution now a real prospect the continent is all set to become a super-state as well. In this controversial new book Stephen Haseler sets out why this new Europe can now stand on its own feet - and no longer needs to accept American dominance in global politics. He shows how this new European superpower and super-state has emerged from the era of its cold-war 'dependency' on America and uses his intimate knowledge of political Washington to predict how a declining American empire will react to this European challenge.