Suchergebnisse

SINCE 1945, EUROPE HAS BEEN COMPARATIVELY PEACEFUL. IN THIS ESSAY, THE AUTHOR DISCUSSES SEVERAL FACTORS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOKED TO EXPLAIN THE LONG PEACE IN EUROPE: BIPOLARITY, NUCLEAR DETERRENCE, DISPLACEMENT OF WAR, INTERDEPENDENCE, DE-LEARNING OF WAR, A COMMON IDEOLOGY, UNION IN THE FACE OF A COMMON ENEMY, AND DEMOCRACY. WHILE THE RELEVANCE OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE CANNOT BE DISMISSED IN THE CASE OF THE EAST-WEST CONFLICT, STABLE DEMOCRACY WOULD SEEM TO PROVIDE THE MOST SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR PEACE IN EUROPE IN THE FUTURE. THE PEACE-BUILDING FUNCTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ARE MAINLY RELEVANT TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM IN NEW AND VULNERABLE DEMOCRACIES. TODAY, THE PROSPECTS FOR A LASTING DEMOCRATIC PEACE IN EUROPE ARE BETTER THAN EVER, BUT IT WILL BE SOME TIME BEFORE THEY EXTEND TO THE WHOLE CONTINENT, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF MAJOR REVERSALS CANNOT BE RULED OUT.