Book Review: The United States of Europe
The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy was written by T. R. Reid and published in 2004; in brief, Reid predicted that the European Union (EU) represents a "geopolitical revolution of historic dimensions" with the very real potential to ensure that Europe (and not America) will be the dominant hegemonic power in political, cultural and economic spheres in years to come. This pan-European political entity, in Reid's considered opinion, will soon sit on a plane of influence equal to that occupied by the United States and, over time, overtake America to become the most powerful player in the geopolitical arena.
This analytical book review will first offer a summary of key issues raised by Reid, elucidate the contributions made by the author to the field of political science, and incorporate references to reviews by other commentators. In essence, it will be argued that Reid is somewhat premature in predicting the demise of American influence and the corresponding rise of European dominance; "Europe" remains, as Stanley Hoffman commented, a divided rather than a cohesive unit that contains nation-state actors with unique agendas.
Reid's thesis is fairly straightforward: the formation of the EU and the ensuing political alliances and economic affiliations (in the form of corporate mergers and acquisitions or consolidations as well as trade agreements and capital flows) has created a mega-power capable of exercising enormous influence in many spheres of activity. These associations have also created a unique and extremely appealing as well as powerful cultural ethos that also threatens that exerted by the United States. Free education, health care, and the possibility for stable lifelong employment with myriad state-supported social service benefits adds to the portrait of a European power that offers its citizens greater stability and p...