Trust is a major foundation of the transatlantic relationship, especially when it comes to intelligence cooperation. Trusting relations have been fostered through decades of capacity building, operational coordination, and established practices of information sharing between allies and partners on both sides of the Atlantic. In the process, the dayto- day workings of transatlantic cooperation have become smooth and routine. Over the last few years, however, the building blocks of mutual trust appear to be eroding as a result of increased geopolitical competition and the misalignment of interests in key issues areas. Clashes between the US and its allies and partners on issues like trade and burden-sharing have become an almost daily topic of concern, as demonstrated by newspaper headlines and Twitter feeds. Has the age of competition hampered mutual trust and its practical consequences, for example, in intelligence activities? How can these emerging transatlantic rifts and sources of mistrust be managed, and even healed, in the future?
The US Research Day 2019 is organised by the Center on US Politics and Power (CUSPP) at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).
