Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: Nations are not something eternal.They had their beginnings and they will have an end.A European confederation will very probably replace them.But such is not the law of the century in which we are living.At the present time, the existence of nations is a good thing, a necessity even.Their existence is the guarantee of liberty, which would be lost if the world had only one law and only one master." 1 -Ernest Renan, 1882 W ith ten new members added into the fold and a new draft constitution working its way through capitals for ratification, the European Union (EU) is in the midst of unprecedented political and geographic integration.This transcontinental constitutional process is a major undertaking.Of course, at 263 single-spaced pages, just reading the EU constitution is a major undertaking.One can't help but compare the EU's behemoth to the US Constitution, which is a modest 4,600 words, not including amendments.While the EU document addresses everything from fisheries to occupational hygiene, the US Constitution deals with broader matters-treaties and taxation, war and peace, rights and responsibilities.Perhaps it's understandable, then, that as Europe strives to come together, the transatlantic community, led as it is by the United States, seems to be coming apart.Some voices on both sides of the Atlantic argue that this parting of ways is inevitable, even desirable.After all, the differences between Europe and the United States are more pronounced and their common interests less obvious than at any time in the last 65 years.However, if the history of the past
Author: Alan W. Dowd
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3044740259