America, take heed--a superpower is stirring in the womb. Once dismissed as a utopian vision found only in science fiction, the premise of disparate countries coalescing into one may soon become a reality.
While pundits and journalists might sneer at the idea of a \United States of Europe,"" the European Union nevertheless has been promoting expansion and a transition from economic solidarity to political unity, a transition that could usher in a whole new way in which international politics and nations themselves are viewed.
The European Union has existed since the end of World War II, but it has only been the last decade where radical changes have been made. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and spearheaded by France, Germany and Italy, the European Union is made up of 15 nations and is currently preparing for up to 13 more to join it in the next few years. It has launched the euro, the now-common European currency that has lately been gaining strength against the dollar. But while it technically exists only as economic union, growing popularity of the EU might provide momentum towards making the final step.
The main principles of the EU are to establish a common European citizenship, the preservation of justice, freedom and security, the promotion of European economic and social progress, and the assertion of Europe's presence in international issues. But by creating laws and guidelines that could possibly contradict the laws and guidelines of its member nations, the European Union creates a question whose answer could become George Bush Sr.'s ""new world order."" In a world where the tone of international relations has shifted from the balance of power to globalization, there is not a lot of necessity to sacrifice progress and wealth for individual sovereignty.
The war on terror helps show that by favoring cooperation over individuality, the EU can protect its interests. The EU aims at providing its citizens with the freedoms and accessibility of transportation that they come to expect, but the EU has combined intelligence and police forces, along with creating a pan-European common warrant regarding terrorism, to streamline the hunt for terrorists.
Additionally, the EU's intelligence agency Europol has been providing the United States with Europe's combined findings and results on its contribution to the war on terror.
But the United States may find that the EU, if its lofty goals are born out, may provide the United States with its first serious European competitor since the end of the Cold War. The EU has sent out its own political envoys out to the Middle East in order to promote its own interests and has recently announced that it would only support a war in Iraq if the United Nations called for it.
While drafts of a ""European Constitution"" are still on the drawing board, there has been talk of establishing EU embassies throughout the world.
But a politically united EU is not inevitable. With the citizens of the member nations expressing overwhelming support for its expansion and continuation, there is a little hesitation among some politicians of giving a central authority too much power over an entire continent. If the EU wants its ideals to be realized, it must hammer out the kinks in its bureaucracy. For example, there are definite disparities in its welfare system; the inhabitants of wealthier western countries receive almost double the amount of welfare than the inhabitants of poorer eastern countries. While Germany and France both champion the European Union, they can only do so much while in the midst of recessions.
While the last half of the 20th century was defined by the United States, perhaps this new century will find its voice within the EU. Even if the dreams of the EU die within the womb, its economic successes already show proof to the realities of cooperation and unity on a global scale. Humanity can set aside lingual, cultural and historical differences to achieve common goals, but such harmony now knows no limit.
