WASHINGTON -- Recent changes in the leadership of two of the closest allies of the United States are altering the dynamic of the trans-Atlantic relationship in ways that would have seemed highly improbable a year ago. The election in early May of the pro-American Nicolas Sarkozy as president of the French Republic has rekindled relations between Paris and Washington, previously soured by differences over Iraq. At the same time, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair in late June, used a U.S. trip to put new distance between his government and the Bush administration. The traditional close ties between Britain and the United States go beyond bilateral issues between the two governments. However, diplomats in Washington said the atmosphere at Brown's first meeting with President George W. Bush a couple of weeks ago was correct, but had none of the warmth of the president's past encounters with Tony Blair.
As Transatlantic Relations Shift, France Seeks a Role in Iraq
