For the last decade, much of the transatlantic discourse has been driven by the question of what European partners can do to support U.S. strategy in key regions, and on critical issues. Successive U.S. administrations have pressed European governments to increase their defense spending, enlarge and extend their commitments in Afghanistan, and uphold a common front on the Iranian nuclear challenge. In the Balkans and North Africa, the United States has grown increasingly comfortable with the idea of Europe taking the lead. Absorbed with its own economic challenges since 2008, the United States has taken an arms-length approach to Europe's financial and political travails, but with a clear preference for stimulus over austerity. On a range of global issues, including climate policy, Washington has been reluctant to embrace an ambitious approach. The growing U.S. attention to Asia in strategic terms has only reinforced Washington's interest in seeing Europe emerge as a more active and capable global actor. It has also spurred European anxiety about changing U.S. priorities.