ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly reviews three major arguments frequently advanced to explain the European Union's (EU) integration process: economic, neofunctionalist, and neorealist approaches. After examining each proposition, the chapter examines how power transition theory can contribute to explaining European integration and help predict its future. Power transition theory provides a systematic perspective to analyze conflict and cooperation concurrently. The theory is based on A. F. K. Organski's pioneering work that describes a hierarchical global system. Integration, by its very nature, changes sovereignty from the exclusivity of the nation-state to either a sharing with, or transfer to, supranational institutions. As the European community grew, the demand for monetary coordination would naturally require the creation of political institutions that would consolidate an ever-growing union. Expectations were high that the trust required for such actions would eventually lead to the delegation of security to the much larger and powerful EU collation now able to confront all potential external enemies.
