As we all know, since Christopher Colombus found his way to America, the Transatlantic relation was a 4 players game: South America, North America, Europe and Africa. It is only during 19th century and mostly all along 20th century that the concept became synonymous of Northern Atlantic relations involving solely Europe and North America. As everything we get use to know for one generation or two, we tend to think of it as ‘natural’, as if it has always existed and will always exist. Nevertheless Transatlantic Relations are historically made of the interactions of these 4 continents and most probably will be even more so in coming decades. When one sees the growing importance of Latin America on the world scene, the huge flow of populations from both Africa and Latin America to Europe and North America, the increasing pressure to find ways to fully integrate Africa within the global system, it would be rather surprising that in one decade or two the EU/US relation will still be the only significant content for 21st century Transatlantic relations.

Therefore it is time explore the concept and try to find out how it could be nurtured, developed and implemented with governments, local authorities, universities, companies of the whole region. Not surprisingly this concept was coined in Miami (which will be most certainly one of the capital cities of this Atlantic Rim) in 2002 at the occasion of the 1st Miami Transatlantic Week; and it will be extensively discussed in April 2004 for the Miami Transatlantic Week second edition.

To look at the future lets keep in mind the past though it is far from being only positive. Indeed the most active times of direct interaction between those 4 continents was namely due to slave trade, when Europeans were conveying slaves from Africa to both South and North America. Not a glorious memory for 3 of the 4 players! Meanwhile it was also the time when modern South and North Americas were set up: a foundation time for these two. Because of this crucial and dark part of the common history of these 4 regions it is pretty obvious that the Atlantic Rim concept will have to deal with this past if it wants to have a future. It could give a future oriented framework to fix the damages done to Africans centuries ago by the 3 others.

Meanwhile, in past decades, we have seen another side of Atlantic Rim emerge, a cultural side, coming from the Carribean which is most probably the place where all those 4 continents have mixed most. Sometimes producing impressive cultural achievements such as music, which is a vibrant part of our common music in all 4 regions.

Then of course, looking towards tomorrow’s challenges we see that demography and growth are fitting very well with cooperation patterns between North and South Atlantic. We also know that Africa requires a special attention from both Europe and the US, which will be more efficiently delivered if Africa’s aspiration to unity and global recognition were shouldered by a proper Atlantic Rim regional arena. Then, we notice the increasing cooperation between Latin America, in particular Mercosur, and European Union, as transversal Atlantic cooperation; and finally we feel that usual EU/US relations will not be sufficient for tomorrow’s world, neither for any of the two players.

The ‘face-à-face’, EU/USA, will only lead to confrontations if we cannot insert it in a broader, friendly context. Africa and Latin America are definitely the other players we both should build a new game with in shaping up the Atlantic Rim.