In many member states, such plans are already well underway. France obtains much of its electricity from nuclear power, while there are extensive wind farms in places such as the Netherlands. The European Union is determined to use its influence both to set an example to other nations and to induce or compel other nations to take steps of their own. One need only look at the fight over the Kyoto Accords to see the effects of the struggle, and the obstacles faced by the federation.
While the European Union may act in a primarily peaceful fashion when it comes to environmental issues, the same cannot be said of other options available to it and member states. Europe has not yet established its own military force, though the various national militaries, and international military organizations, like NATO, provide the European Union with a considerable military potential. NATO has been greatly expanded since the fall of the Soviet Union, but remains under the domination of the United States. Significantly, France has stood outside of NATO, ever since the time of Charles de Gaulle. This may change now that France has a more "Atlanticist" president in the form of Nicholas Sarkozy:
The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, has hinted that France is willing to rejoin NATO's military command if the EU acquired a greater capacity to deploy troops and manage crises. Miliband is not falling into line with the Sarkozy vision, but his remarks suggest a willingness to see if common ground can be found with the newly Atlanticist French. (Patrick Wintour, 15 November 2007)
Indeed, France's sudden interest in re-joining NATO points up the national tensions that still exist beneath the surface in the European Union. As Miliband's response suggests, not all member nations are eager to relinquish direct national control over military options in favor of greater control by the Union - particularly if that European Union control involves giving still greater influence to one populous state. Sarkozy himself calls for greater participation in NATO by the European Union as a means of protecting European interests i.e. As a guarantee that the military organization is not used as a tool in international conflicts that do not directly concern European interests (Sarkozy, 2007). Given the push to expand the Union's influence and reach in almost every other facet of international relations, the argument would appear somewhat disingenuous, and a concealed attempt to gain for Sarkozy's France greater power within in a powerful international military organization.
No doubt, the struggle to "control" NATO functions as but another reaction to the discovery that the European Union now exists as a genuine rival to American military and economic power. On the economic level, the European Union ha snow captured the top spot from the United States - "America is no more the largest economic powerhouse. This title now belongs to the European Union. And Brussels is using this new found economic power to drive new regulation and force stricter environmental standards" (http://currychutney.blogspot.com/2007/11/global-economic-power-shift.html).
Europe is beginning to flex its muscle, using its awesome economic power to influence other countries and regions in ways once available only to superpowers like the United States. The United States possesses an enormous national debt, and vast trade deficit. Many of Europe's economies are growing at impressive rates, and Europe has established itself as a center of research and development.
Capable of competing in more than sheer financial terms, the European Union can actually help to structure the economies of other nations, especially those in the developing world. Increased military power, even if it is never developed as a direct tool of the federation, can assist in backing up this newfound economic clout, much as the United States military has long been used to "convince" other nations of the rightness of American economic policy. If Europe is to retain and expand...
Political Science Vincent Hutchings -- Racial Coding in American Politics What are three key points discussed by the scholar? The three key points that were discussed include: race continues to play an important role in political perceptions; to avoid negative stereo types requires showing a particular demographic in a positive light and most people are more racially tolerant but have negative perceptions at the same time. As a result, political candidates are subtle
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The blame game began almost immediately, and President Bush, together with many among the American people, looked for scapegoats. Iraq - a Muslim nation weakened by war and economic sanctions - would prove an easy target of American wrath in this new era of suspicion and fear. The belief had arisen that, if the rules governing intelligence had been different, 9/11 might have been prevented. A frequent target of
With the lessening rank of ideological moderates, the potential of bipartisan cooperation and compromise lessen. Today the two parties disagree with each other more frequently and more vigorously and forcefully than before. Party-based disagreements, policy stagnation, and paralysis stimulated by party rivalry seem to have become the norm instead of the exception (Ono, 2005). It appears that no one in Washington can get anything accomplished because of the political game
The winning side got what it wanted, in part - the continued legality of abortion - but it did not achieve a wider victor in the abortion war. Abortion's opponents were still represented by the dissenting justices. They too, used stare decisis in their opinion, but in a quite opposite fashion, laying open another path to those who might still hope to have abortion removed as a legitimate constitutional
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