Not with a Bang, But a Whimper. Western Europe Approaches the Third Millenium,
Abstract
West European stability remains a vital interest of the United States; U.S. involvement in Western Europe remains a vital interest of Western Europe. Neither stability nor involvement, however, can be maintained simply by their recognition as vital interests. Foreign policy in democracies at peace is ordinarily dependent upon internal political considerations. Since the end of the Cold War, these considerations in Western Europe and the United States have been dominated by economic pressures, not all congruent with international interests perceived by foreign policy decisionmakers and commentators. This report examines the potential economic, political, and security future of Western Europe as it passes the year 2000. It concludes that the region is currently stable and that stability is likely to continue but is by no means guaranteed. The major threat is economic. Unemployment throughout Western Europe is very high, in the 10-percent range. This has already brought about serious unrest in France, and a sharp cyclical downturn could lead to worse unrest, there and elsewhere.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA313989
Entities
People
- Robert A. Levine
Organizations
- RAND Corporation