ABSTRACT
Europe’s model of association among nations breaks new ground even if the eventual relationship of member nations achieves less than full integration and the abolition of the national state as a sovereign entity. The basis for a successful Concert of Europe resided in a core of powerful and united nations that sought to remain in association with one another to consult and decide on international developments. The Soviet Union wanted to associate itself with Europe and also the wider capitalist world to keep up with these new economic and technological developments. Europe has pioneered in creating and sustaining democratic “trading states” that no longer harbor aggressive territorial designs at the expense of one another but that, in contrast, seek their livelihood through economic development sustained by foreign trade. In an extension of the architectural metaphor, Europe will become the keystone of the arch uniting East and West in world politics.
