Introduction

The explicit motivation for publishing the manifesto goes back to the contrasting opinions among European leaders of President George W. Bush and the American strategy of pre-emptive war in the aftermath of 9/11. Despite representing quite different theoretical traditions and attitudes, Jurgen Habermas and Jacques Derrida agreed years back to compose a common manifesto for The Rebirth of Europe. In the first place, it outlines the existence of a European public sphere that is larger than the more restricted sub spheres circulating around the European institutions of economic collaboration and policy-making. Secondly, the manifesto opens up space for a different and a more in-depth study of common European issues inasmuch as it reveals a basic concern for European identity rather than day-to-day problems. Etymologically, the concept of identity, also used explicitly in the manifesto with specific reference to European identity, derives from the Latin word idem, meaning 'the same'.