ABSTRACT
During the entire half-a-century, postwar Europe successfully adjusted to new challenges, and during various crises, the member countries of the European Community always escaped by going ahead towards further integration. The US, the unquestioned leader of the Western world, was strong and determined enough to initiate and also assist and push European integration ahead to strengthen their common Atlantic front against the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc. The American attempt met with the enthusiastic contribution from federalist European elite and some of the leaders of the European nation states. This alliance led to the historical breakthrough of the integration process that emerged during the 1950s and progressed through the 1960s. The EU structure provides the best mechanism for stabilizing and keeping peace, and for collaboration among countries of Europe. Based on European values and interests, an institutionalized and more flexible two-tier arrangement may serve the future well.
