Toward a More Independent Europe

Toward a More Independent Europe

Author: Michael Brenner

Publisher: Academia Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13: 9789038210698

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the world outside the community come the waves of globalization, in its several manifestations; the immigrants; the terrorist creeds and passions; the oil and gas; and - not least - the omnipresence of the United States. The last surely gets its share of critical attention among the thinking classes, business people, public officials and the public. Yet the nature and the extent of the ways in which America impinges on Europe is, I submit, still underestimated. This is true despite the acute awareness of American power and influence. I have in mind the effects the United States has in shaping how Europeans think, and not just about the international scene or the current strains in Euro-American relations - acute as they are. Beyond the evident, demonstrable ability to affect what goes on in the world is the more subtle propagation of social philosophies, cultural norms, and modes of doing things. Their permeation of European thought and sentiment has deleterious consequences for European self-esteem and will-power as well as for the capacity to devise means suited to Europe's own troubled circumstance.


Book Synopsis Toward a More Independent Europe by : Michael Brenner

Download or read book Toward a More Independent Europe written by Michael Brenner and published by Academia Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the world outside the community come the waves of globalization, in its several manifestations; the immigrants; the terrorist creeds and passions; the oil and gas; and - not least - the omnipresence of the United States. The last surely gets its share of critical attention among the thinking classes, business people, public officials and the public. Yet the nature and the extent of the ways in which America impinges on Europe is, I submit, still underestimated. This is true despite the acute awareness of American power and influence. I have in mind the effects the United States has in shaping how Europeans think, and not just about the international scene or the current strains in Euro-American relations - acute as they are. Beyond the evident, demonstrable ability to affect what goes on in the world is the more subtle propagation of social philosophies, cultural norms, and modes of doing things. Their permeation of European thought and sentiment has deleterious consequences for European self-esteem and will-power as well as for the capacity to devise means suited to Europe's own troubled circumstance.


Toward an Understanding of Europe

Toward an Understanding of Europe

Author: Alan W. Ertl

Publisher: Universal-Publishers

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 561

ISBN-13: 1599429837

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For the earnest student of Europe, this unique work brings together a basic review of essential segments of intellectual thinking. In this volume, pertinent conceptual relationships, substantial relevant particulars, and an array of specific mechanics are all intertwined and used as a focus to examine the ongoing complex European integration process. By defining important parameterizations, this text develops a paradigm probing the current-day international activities which are rapidly leading to meta-national European supra-nationality. The most basic substantive of the integration process is the collective various peoples of Europe with their individual diversities. The origins of these collective diversities, the defining historical nationhood precedent, is herein examined, revealing the essential elements of individual identities, ethnologies, linguistic collectivities, and other antecedents imputing elements which compose the substance and stuff today coalescing into tomorrow's future harmonized European identity. This book is unique as it traces from many different origins the elements that are merging Europe into one collective future. This book sketches a process of onward integration as a continuation of what has happened in the past. This argument is augmented with many time lines, definition martial, and historical presentation, making it easy for the reader to grasp straightforwardly the wide-ranging substance out of which a single whole is being constructed. As a cognitive dynamic, movements such as the Nordic League, European Union, and EFTA as well as many other entities have been noted-- movements each in their own way, all contributing to an overall integrated Europe. As the more prominent initiative, the European Union with its diverse and constituent parts is carefully presented, as well as its unique decision-making process which is working to focus singular interests into collective benefits. Integration is an inevitable byproduct of continentalization, itself a sub consideration of globalization. The time and perhaps the gestalt of the end result of this activity is not known; however, with a comprehensive overview the motion is clearly identifiable, and the direction unequivocally certain. The Single House of Europe is being built of very different elements. This book defines these elements in terms of a paradigm for understanding the process of integration, the process that is rapidly forming the new Single House of Europe.


Book Synopsis Toward an Understanding of Europe by : Alan W. Ertl

Download or read book Toward an Understanding of Europe written by Alan W. Ertl and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2008 with total page 561 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the earnest student of Europe, this unique work brings together a basic review of essential segments of intellectual thinking. In this volume, pertinent conceptual relationships, substantial relevant particulars, and an array of specific mechanics are all intertwined and used as a focus to examine the ongoing complex European integration process. By defining important parameterizations, this text develops a paradigm probing the current-day international activities which are rapidly leading to meta-national European supra-nationality. The most basic substantive of the integration process is the collective various peoples of Europe with their individual diversities. The origins of these collective diversities, the defining historical nationhood precedent, is herein examined, revealing the essential elements of individual identities, ethnologies, linguistic collectivities, and other antecedents imputing elements which compose the substance and stuff today coalescing into tomorrow's future harmonized European identity. This book is unique as it traces from many different origins the elements that are merging Europe into one collective future. This book sketches a process of onward integration as a continuation of what has happened in the past. This argument is augmented with many time lines, definition martial, and historical presentation, making it easy for the reader to grasp straightforwardly the wide-ranging substance out of which a single whole is being constructed. As a cognitive dynamic, movements such as the Nordic League, European Union, and EFTA as well as many other entities have been noted-- movements each in their own way, all contributing to an overall integrated Europe. As the more prominent initiative, the European Union with its diverse and constituent parts is carefully presented, as well as its unique decision-making process which is working to focus singular interests into collective benefits. Integration is an inevitable byproduct of continentalization, itself a sub consideration of globalization. The time and perhaps the gestalt of the end result of this activity is not known; however, with a comprehensive overview the motion is clearly identifiable, and the direction unequivocally certain. The Single House of Europe is being built of very different elements. This book defines these elements in terms of a paradigm for understanding the process of integration, the process that is rapidly forming the new Single House of Europe.


The European Union

The European Union

Author: Kristin Archick

Publisher:

Published: 2019-09-15

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 9781693263408

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries. The EU is the latest stage in a process of integration begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to foster interdependence and make another war in Europe unthinkable. The EU currently consists of 28 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent. The EU has been built through a series of binding treaties. Over the years, EU member states have sought to harmonize laws and adopt common policies on an increasing number of economic, social, and political issues. EU member states share a customs union; a single market in which capital, goods, services, and people move freely; a common trade policy; and a common agricultural policy. Nineteen EU member states use a common currency (the euro), and 22 member states participate in the Schengen area of free movement in which internal border controls have been eliminated. In addition, the EU has been developing a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), and pursuing cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) to forge common internal security measures. Member states work together through several EU institutions to set policy and to promote their collective interests. In recent years, however, the EU has faced a number of internal and external crises. Most notably, in a June 2016 public referendum, voters in the United Kingdom (UK) backed leaving the EU. The pending British exit from the EU (dubbed "Brexit") comes amid multiple other challenges, including the rise of populist and to some extent anti-EU political parties, concerns about democratic backsliding in some member states (including Poland and Hungary), ongoing pressures related to migration, a heightened terrorism threat, and a resurgent Russia. The United States has supported the European integration project since its inception in the 1950s as a means to prevent another catastrophic conflict on the European continent and foster democratic allies and strong trading partners. Today, the United States and the EU have a dynamic political partnership and share a huge trade and investment relationship. Despite periodic tensions in U.S.-EU relations over the years, U.S. and EU policymakers alike have viewed the partnership as serving both sides' overall strategic and economic interests. EU leaders are anxious about the Trump Administration's commitment to the EU project, the transatlantic partnership, and an open international trading system-especially amid the Administration's imposition of tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products since 2018 and the prospects of future auto tariffs. In July 2018, President Trump reportedly called the EU a "foe" on trade but the Administration subsequently sought to de-escalate U.S.-EU tensions and signaled its intention to launch new U.S.-EU trade negotiations. Concerns also linger in Brussels about the implications of the Trump Administration's "America First" foreign policy and its positions on a range of international issues, including Russia, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, climate change, and the role of multilateral institutions. This report serves as a primer on the EU. Despite the UK's vote to leave the EU, the UK remains a full member of the bloc until it officially exits the EU (which is scheduled to occur by October 31, 2019, but may be further delayed). As such, this report largely addresses the EU and its institutions as they currently exist. It also briefly describes U.S.-EU political and economic relations that may be of interest.


Book Synopsis The European Union by : Kristin Archick

Download or read book The European Union written by Kristin Archick and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-15 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries. The EU is the latest stage in a process of integration begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to foster interdependence and make another war in Europe unthinkable. The EU currently consists of 28 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent. The EU has been built through a series of binding treaties. Over the years, EU member states have sought to harmonize laws and adopt common policies on an increasing number of economic, social, and political issues. EU member states share a customs union; a single market in which capital, goods, services, and people move freely; a common trade policy; and a common agricultural policy. Nineteen EU member states use a common currency (the euro), and 22 member states participate in the Schengen area of free movement in which internal border controls have been eliminated. In addition, the EU has been developing a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), and pursuing cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) to forge common internal security measures. Member states work together through several EU institutions to set policy and to promote their collective interests. In recent years, however, the EU has faced a number of internal and external crises. Most notably, in a June 2016 public referendum, voters in the United Kingdom (UK) backed leaving the EU. The pending British exit from the EU (dubbed "Brexit") comes amid multiple other challenges, including the rise of populist and to some extent anti-EU political parties, concerns about democratic backsliding in some member states (including Poland and Hungary), ongoing pressures related to migration, a heightened terrorism threat, and a resurgent Russia. The United States has supported the European integration project since its inception in the 1950s as a means to prevent another catastrophic conflict on the European continent and foster democratic allies and strong trading partners. Today, the United States and the EU have a dynamic political partnership and share a huge trade and investment relationship. Despite periodic tensions in U.S.-EU relations over the years, U.S. and EU policymakers alike have viewed the partnership as serving both sides' overall strategic and economic interests. EU leaders are anxious about the Trump Administration's commitment to the EU project, the transatlantic partnership, and an open international trading system-especially amid the Administration's imposition of tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products since 2018 and the prospects of future auto tariffs. In July 2018, President Trump reportedly called the EU a "foe" on trade but the Administration subsequently sought to de-escalate U.S.-EU tensions and signaled its intention to launch new U.S.-EU trade negotiations. Concerns also linger in Brussels about the implications of the Trump Administration's "America First" foreign policy and its positions on a range of international issues, including Russia, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, climate change, and the role of multilateral institutions. This report serves as a primer on the EU. Despite the UK's vote to leave the EU, the UK remains a full member of the bloc until it officially exits the EU (which is scheduled to occur by October 31, 2019, but may be further delayed). As such, this report largely addresses the EU and its institutions as they currently exist. It also briefly describes U.S.-EU political and economic relations that may be of interest.


The Choice for Europe

The Choice for Europe

Author: Andrew Moravcsik

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-11

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 1134215347

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The creation of the European Union arguably ranks among the most extraordinary achievements in modern world politics. Observers disagree, however, about the reasons why European governments have chosen to co- ordinate core economic policies and surrender sovereign perogatives. This text analyzes the history of the region's movement toward economic and political union. Do these unifying steps demonstrate the pre-eminence of national security concerns, the power of federalist ideals, the skill of political entrepreneurs like Jean Monnet and Jacques Delors, or the triumph of technocratic planning? Moravcsik rejects such views. Economic interdependence has been, he maintains, the primary force compelling these democracies to move in this surprising direction. Politicians rationally pursued national economic advantage through the exploitation of asymmetrical interdependence and the manipulation of institutional commitments.


Book Synopsis The Choice for Europe by : Andrew Moravcsik

Download or read book The Choice for Europe written by Andrew Moravcsik and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-11 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The creation of the European Union arguably ranks among the most extraordinary achievements in modern world politics. Observers disagree, however, about the reasons why European governments have chosen to co- ordinate core economic policies and surrender sovereign perogatives. This text analyzes the history of the region's movement toward economic and political union. Do these unifying steps demonstrate the pre-eminence of national security concerns, the power of federalist ideals, the skill of political entrepreneurs like Jean Monnet and Jacques Delors, or the triumph of technocratic planning? Moravcsik rejects such views. Economic interdependence has been, he maintains, the primary force compelling these democracies to move in this surprising direction. Politicians rationally pursued national economic advantage through the exploitation of asymmetrical interdependence and the manipulation of institutional commitments.


Europe's New Defense Ambitions

Europe's New Defense Ambitions

Author: Peter van Ham

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2001-04

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 0756708788

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At the EU's Helsinki summit in 1999, European leaders took a decisive step toward the development of a new Common European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) aimed at giving the EU a stronger role in international affairs backed by a credible military force. This report analyzes the processes leading to the ESDP by examining why and how this new European consensus came about. It touches upon the controversies and challenges that still lie ahead. What are the national interests and driving forces behind it, and what steps need to be taken to realize Europe's ambitions to achieve a workable European crisis mgmt. capability?


Book Synopsis Europe's New Defense Ambitions by : Peter van Ham

Download or read book Europe's New Defense Ambitions written by Peter van Ham and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2001-04 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the EU's Helsinki summit in 1999, European leaders took a decisive step toward the development of a new Common European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) aimed at giving the EU a stronger role in international affairs backed by a credible military force. This report analyzes the processes leading to the ESDP by examining why and how this new European consensus came about. It touches upon the controversies and challenges that still lie ahead. What are the national interests and driving forces behind it, and what steps need to be taken to realize Europe's ambitions to achieve a workable European crisis mgmt. capability?


The story of your city

The story of your city

Author: Greg Clark

Publisher: European Investment Bank

Published: 2018-10-31

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 9286138784

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By the end of this century, 9 out of 10 Europeans will live in an urban area. But what kind of city will they call home? You'll find all the answers in CITY, TRANSFORMED, the new essay series from the European Investment Bank. This panoramic first essay in the series lays out a great sweeping history of European cities over the last fifty years—and showcases new directions being taken by some of our most innovative cities. Urban experts Greg Clark, Tim Moonen, and Jake Nunley based at University College London take a definitive look at how Europe's cities transformed from post-industrial decline to thriving metropolises that are as prosperous and liveable as anywhere on Earth.


Book Synopsis The story of your city by : Greg Clark

Download or read book The story of your city written by Greg Clark and published by European Investment Bank. This book was released on 2018-10-31 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the end of this century, 9 out of 10 Europeans will live in an urban area. But what kind of city will they call home? You'll find all the answers in CITY, TRANSFORMED, the new essay series from the European Investment Bank. This panoramic first essay in the series lays out a great sweeping history of European cities over the last fifty years—and showcases new directions being taken by some of our most innovative cities. Urban experts Greg Clark, Tim Moonen, and Jake Nunley based at University College London take a definitive look at how Europe's cities transformed from post-industrial decline to thriving metropolises that are as prosperous and liveable as anywhere on Earth.


The European Fund for Strategic Investments: The Legacy

The European Fund for Strategic Investments: The Legacy

Author: European Investment Bank

Publisher: European Investment Bank

Published: 2021-01-07

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 9286148151

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The inside story of the European Fund for Strategic Investments from 2015 to 2020 told through interviews with the Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director, members of the Investment Committee and final beneficiaries across Europe. The architects of this €500 billion-plus programme, the head of the EU bank and the president of the European Commission, describe the genesis of this financial pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe. Then the people who ran one of the biggest economic stimulus programmes in history detail how they did it—and what the lessons are for policymakers responding to new crises, including the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Fund for Strategic Investments has been one of the good news stories to emerge in a decade of economic uncertainty. It has gone well beyond its highly ambitious target of €500 billion in mobilised investments. The Juncker Plan has made a strong contribution to the 14 million jobs created in the EU between 2015 and 2020. It has become a success in co-financing projects that otherwise might not have been carried through. It has also charted the path towards new ways of financing. This is not only the case in relatively conventional areas, such as infrastructure, but also in sectors like research and innovation or the contribution to climate change mitigation. This is exactly what makes EFSI so ground-breaking: responding to the needs of the market through continuous financial innovation. The principle of the European Fund for Strategic Investments is here to stay. It has paved the way for its successor, the InvestEU programme, which is to be deployed under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework. This publication details why the programme was such a success.


Book Synopsis The European Fund for Strategic Investments: The Legacy by : European Investment Bank

Download or read book The European Fund for Strategic Investments: The Legacy written by European Investment Bank and published by European Investment Bank. This book was released on 2021-01-07 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inside story of the European Fund for Strategic Investments from 2015 to 2020 told through interviews with the Managing Director, Deputy Managing Director, members of the Investment Committee and final beneficiaries across Europe. The architects of this €500 billion-plus programme, the head of the EU bank and the president of the European Commission, describe the genesis of this financial pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe. Then the people who ran one of the biggest economic stimulus programmes in history detail how they did it—and what the lessons are for policymakers responding to new crises, including the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Fund for Strategic Investments has been one of the good news stories to emerge in a decade of economic uncertainty. It has gone well beyond its highly ambitious target of €500 billion in mobilised investments. The Juncker Plan has made a strong contribution to the 14 million jobs created in the EU between 2015 and 2020. It has become a success in co-financing projects that otherwise might not have been carried through. It has also charted the path towards new ways of financing. This is not only the case in relatively conventional areas, such as infrastructure, but also in sectors like research and innovation or the contribution to climate change mitigation. This is exactly what makes EFSI so ground-breaking: responding to the needs of the market through continuous financial innovation. The principle of the European Fund for Strategic Investments is here to stay. It has paved the way for its successor, the InvestEU programme, which is to be deployed under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework. This publication details why the programme was such a success.


Uniting of Europe

Uniting of Europe

Author: Ernst B. Haas

Publisher:

Published: 2020-11-15

Total Pages: 642

ISBN-13: 9780268201685

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The University of Notre Dame Press is pleased to bring Ernst Haas's classic work on European integration, The Uniting of Europe, back into print. First published in 1958 and last printed in 1968, this seminal volume is the starting point for anyone interested in the pre-history of the European Union. Haas uses the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as a case study of the community formation processes that occur across traditional national and state boundaries. Haas points to the ECSC as an example of an organization with the "power to redirect the loyalties and expectations of political actors." In this pathbreaking book Haas contends that, based on his observations of the actual integration process, the idea of a "united Europe" took root in the years immediately following World War II. His careful and rigorous analysis tracks the development of the ECSC, including, in his 1968 preface, a discussion of the eventual loss of the individual identity of the ECSC through its absorption into the new European Community. Featuring a new introduction by Haas analyzing the impact of his book over time, as well as an updated bibliography, The Uniting of Europe is a must-have for political scientists and historians of modern and contemporary Europe. This book is the inaugural volume of Notre Dame's new Contemporary European Politics and Society Series.


Book Synopsis Uniting of Europe by : Ernst B. Haas

Download or read book Uniting of Europe written by Ernst B. Haas and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-15 with total page 642 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The University of Notre Dame Press is pleased to bring Ernst Haas's classic work on European integration, The Uniting of Europe, back into print. First published in 1958 and last printed in 1968, this seminal volume is the starting point for anyone interested in the pre-history of the European Union. Haas uses the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as a case study of the community formation processes that occur across traditional national and state boundaries. Haas points to the ECSC as an example of an organization with the "power to redirect the loyalties and expectations of political actors." In this pathbreaking book Haas contends that, based on his observations of the actual integration process, the idea of a "united Europe" took root in the years immediately following World War II. His careful and rigorous analysis tracks the development of the ECSC, including, in his 1968 preface, a discussion of the eventual loss of the individual identity of the ECSC through its absorption into the new European Community. Featuring a new introduction by Haas analyzing the impact of his book over time, as well as an updated bibliography, The Uniting of Europe is a must-have for political scientists and historians of modern and contemporary Europe. This book is the inaugural volume of Notre Dame's new Contemporary European Politics and Society Series.


The United States, NATO and the European Union

The United States, NATO and the European Union

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis The United States, NATO and the European Union by :

Download or read book The United States, NATO and the European Union written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Europe's Last Chance

Europe's Last Chance

Author: Guy Verhofstadt

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2017-01-03

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0465096867

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In the heart of Europe's current crisis, one of the continent's foremost statesmen issues a clarion call to radically remake the European Union in the mold of the United States' own federal government Europe is caught in its greatest crisis since the Second World War. The catalog of ills seems endless: an economic crisis spread through most of Europe's Mediterranean tier that has crippled Greece and driven a wedge between northern and southern Europe; terrorist attacks in Paris, Cologne, Brussels, and Nice; growing aggression from Russia in Ukraine and the Baltic states; and refugees escaping war-torn neighbors. The European Union's inability to handle any of these disasters was a driving factor in Great Britain voting to leave, and others may soon follow. The result won't just be a continent in turmoil, but also a serious threat to American and British security-the Atlantic, let alone the Channel, simply isn't big enough to keep European troubles in Europe. For everyone's sake, Europe must survive. The question is how. In Europe's Last Chance, Guy Verhofstadt-former prime minister of Belgium and current leader of the liberal faction in the European Parliament-provides the essential framework for understanding Europe today, laying bare the absurdity of a system in which each member state can veto legislation, opt in or out of the Euro, or close borders on a whim. But Verhofstadt does not just indict the European Union, he also offers a powerful vision for how the continent can change for the better. The key, argues Verhofstadt, is to reform the European Union along the lines of America's federal government: a United States of Europe strong enough to stand with the United States of America in making a better, safer world. A visionary book from one of today's luminaries of European leadership, Europe's Last Chance is a clarion call to save the European Union, one of the world's greatest chances for peace and prosperity.


Book Synopsis Europe's Last Chance by : Guy Verhofstadt

Download or read book Europe's Last Chance written by Guy Verhofstadt and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the heart of Europe's current crisis, one of the continent's foremost statesmen issues a clarion call to radically remake the European Union in the mold of the United States' own federal government Europe is caught in its greatest crisis since the Second World War. The catalog of ills seems endless: an economic crisis spread through most of Europe's Mediterranean tier that has crippled Greece and driven a wedge between northern and southern Europe; terrorist attacks in Paris, Cologne, Brussels, and Nice; growing aggression from Russia in Ukraine and the Baltic states; and refugees escaping war-torn neighbors. The European Union's inability to handle any of these disasters was a driving factor in Great Britain voting to leave, and others may soon follow. The result won't just be a continent in turmoil, but also a serious threat to American and British security-the Atlantic, let alone the Channel, simply isn't big enough to keep European troubles in Europe. For everyone's sake, Europe must survive. The question is how. In Europe's Last Chance, Guy Verhofstadt-former prime minister of Belgium and current leader of the liberal faction in the European Parliament-provides the essential framework for understanding Europe today, laying bare the absurdity of a system in which each member state can veto legislation, opt in or out of the Euro, or close borders on a whim. But Verhofstadt does not just indict the European Union, he also offers a powerful vision for how the continent can change for the better. The key, argues Verhofstadt, is to reform the European Union along the lines of America's federal government: a United States of Europe strong enough to stand with the United States of America in making a better, safer world. A visionary book from one of today's luminaries of European leadership, Europe's Last Chance is a clarion call to save the European Union, one of the world's greatest chances for peace and prosperity.