The allied invasion in Iraq and its aftermath highlight considerable discrepancies in the attitude towards the use of force between the current US administration and most EU member States. Still, both sides of the Atlantic are firmly committed to the UN Charter and the binding force of public international law. There is considerable unity in the possible justification of humanitarian intervention. The main point of contention lies in the different perception of preventive self-defense.

Together with other members of the international community, the US and the European Union should work towards a common set of criteria for intervention which clearly respects the prerogatives of UN Security Council for the maintenance and restoration of peace and international security.