ABSTRACT
It must now be one of the most overworked of clichés to note that Europe has entered a period of genuine transformation during the last 2 years. Cliché or not, it is undeniably the case that the most remarkable events have occurred at a scintillating pace, a process perhaps symbolized best by the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. The Warsaw Treaty Organization has virtually collapsed and, in a stunning reversal, most of its members have begun installing market economies and adopting democratic parliamentary political systems. The Soviet Union has become a dramatically less threatening presence in Europe – and one overwhelmed with a daunting array of domestic problems. German unification in 1991 appears certain, as well, altering fundamentally the political and economic landscape of Europe. The further integration of the European Economic Community appears inevitable as does the Community’s eventual extension north and east.
