The Americans Are Coming (IHT.com) Rarely has a visit to Europe by a U.S. president generated as much anticipation as the one by George W. Bush that starts Monday. The reason is obvious: Trans-Atlantic discord has escalated over the past four years, raising doubts about the validity of the North Atlantic alliance, and even over whether the term "Western" still connotes a shared vision of the world. We believe that it does, and that NATO can remain the premier instrument for guaranteeing the security and freedom of countries that buy into the values that bind Europe and America. But it will take a lot of hard work to undo the damage of these four years. Banquets and speeches about shared histories are good, but there's also Iraq, Iran, Syria, North Korea, China, Africa and a host of other places that need joint attention.

The choreography of the visit is, indeed, impressive. Bush will spend quality time with three active opponents of the war in Iraq: France's Jacques Chirac, Germany's Gerhard Schröder and Russia's Vladimir Putin, and he will visit both the European Council and the European Commission to prove that he is all for European unity.

Several factors explain the yearning on both sides to make so public a show of camaraderie. One is simply that Bush is there for four more years, whether the Europeans like it or not. Another is that America would dearly like Europe to become more involved in Iraq. The American military is overstretched. Of course, the Europeans believe that means Bush is therefore not likely to attack Iran or anyone else anytime soon. So the Europeans believe they have a window to advocate the "soft power" they favor in resolving conflicts.

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