ABSTRACT
In Europe one economic superpower, the BRD, lacks weapons of mass destruction and may also be disabled from defending even its most crucial interests by the facts of its history. Neither Britain nor France can stand in the same class as these three prime determinants of future Europe. While moving with the tide of European integration, especially in search of economic advantage and collective security, the United Kingdom will continue to distrust concepts of federalism, supranationalism and radically fast functionalism. However, the latest European Commission report on monetary and economic union, which criticizes Britain's outmoded objections, is itself outmoded in this respect. Even if in the long-run perestroika succeeds, in a more frankly marketized form than has been attempted yet, Anglo-Soviet relations are likely to remain conditioned on the British side by perceptions of the Soviet Union's military power, economic potential and socio-political distinctiveness.
