Europe’s Two Futures
Europe is an economic giant but a political dwarf. Unless the new leaders of the European Union's most powerful countries--Germany's Angela Merkel, France's Nicolas Sarkozy, and the UK's Gordon Brown--successfully revive the Constitutional Treaty, Europe's global strategic standing will continue to shrink.
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Europe today presents a contradictory picture. It is a land of peace, democracy, and the rule of law. It is also a land of prosperity: its economy is competitive, its currency strong, inflation is low, and its standards of living are among the highest in the world. Europeans benefit from very high levels of social protection, inexpensive, high-quality education, strict environmental standards, and excellent infrastructure. In addition, Europe has unmatched cultural diversity and great natural beauty. It all sounds like a utopian dream.