Old Europe, New Europe: Critique of US-UK Unilateralism in the European Revival Thought since 9/11

Author: Tong Shijun et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date:
Features: In 2003, the United States and the United Kingdom 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, as well as ideological conflicts across the entire Western world. Just as the newly coined term "New Europe" had barely gained traction with the expansion of the European Union to the east, another controversy erupted when U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld mocked Germany and France as the "Old Europe." In reality, "New" and "Old" Europe have become synonymous with support or opposition to U.S. policies. A significant event that drew global public attention due to the U.S.-European political division was May 31, 2003, when European public intellectuals like Habermas, without any prior announcement, published articles in major European newspapers simultaneously, calling on intellectuals worldwide to unite and become pioneers in opposing U.S. aggression. Meanwhile, 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 transformed the idea of European revival into a tangible reality in theory, ideology, and practice. This book collects articles from renowned scholars who advocate European revival and oppose U.S. unilateralism, as well as rebuttals from those who hold opposing views. It aims to help readers understand what has really happened between the U.S. and Europe today? What are Europe's claims? Will the U.S.-European political, military alliance, and cultural identity truly break apart as a result? What impact will the U.S.-European political conflict have on China?