Can the EU fill leadership void left by US?

In 1990, Charles Krauthammer published his famous essay on the "unipolar moment", about the United States' future power to shape the world at will. He wrote: "The true geopolitical structure of the post-Cold-War world ... is a single pole of world power that consists of the United States at the apex of the industrial west."

In 2007, most will agree that the unipolar moment, if it ever existed, has passed. That is only underlined by the failure of the unipolar experiment also know as the invasion and occupation of Iraqand the damage it inflicted on Washington's international legitimacy and credibility.

For traditional European Atlanticists, it does not make for pleasant viewing to see US leadership damaged and questioned. But expectations are low today regarding US ability to lead the international community. In the face of a US credibility crisis, some look to Europe to take the initiative and fill the vacuum. Can 2007 be a European moment?