Old Europe, New Europe

Author: (English) Roy Boyd and Cao Weidong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-29
Features: In 2003, the United States and the UK insisted on launching the Iraq War without the authorization of the UN Security Council, triggering the most severe political division between the US and Europe since World War II, and even a clash of ideas across the entire Western world. Just as the newly coined term "New Europe" had barely gained traction with the expansion of the EU to the east, another controversy erupted with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld mocking Germany and France as "Old Europe." In reality, "New" and "Old" Europe have become synonyms for supporting or opposing US policies. A significant event that drew global public attention due to the US-EU political division was on May 31, 2003, when European public intellectuals like Habermas, without any prior announcement, published articles in several major European newspapers, calling on intellectuals worldwide to unite and become pioneers in opposing US aggression. At the same time, the European Constitutional Convention, after years of arduous work, finally completed the draft constitution for the future of Europe. The intellectual movement to revitalize Europe and the drafting of the European constitution made the idea of European revival a tangible reality in theory, ideology, and practice. This book collects articles from renowned scholars who advocate European revival and oppose US-UK unilateralism, as well as rebuttals from those who hold opposing views. It aims to help readers understand what has really happened between the US and Europe today? What are Europe's claims? Will the political, military alliance, and cultural identity between the US and Europe truly break down as a result? What impact will the US-EU political conflict have on China?