Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century [Paperback]

Mark Leonard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Mark Leonard deserves to be listened to.' Independent 'Mark Leonard has done that rare thing; he has reshaped how we look at the world ! This is a refreshing, compelling and above all optimistic book that moves the European debate onto wholly new ground. British Eurosceptics beware.' Will Hutton, author of 'The State We're In' 'Mark Leonard's views are always adventurous and stimulating -- and "Why Europe will run the 21st Century" sustains those attributes. It also confirms that, in useful contrast to the unilateralist 'New American Century' doctrine of US Republicans, Europe's contribution to the era will be multilateralist. In the age of increased globalisation and intensified interdependence, that has the strength of common sense.' Neil Kinnock 'Fluid and original, this is an important and enjoyable book for anyone who cares about the future of Europe.' Robert Kagan, author of 'Paradise & Power: America and Europe in the New World Order' 'Mark Leonard is one of the bright young thinkers on foreign policy. Here he lays out a provocative challenge to all those Europsceptics -- on both sides of the Atlantic -- who think old Europe's day has passed. Whether you agree or not, you cannot ignore this book.' Joseph S. Nye, Jr, author of 'Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics' Praise for Mark Leonard: 'Blazed a trail as a media savvy, energetic, original thinker', The New Statesman 'One of the important influences on British Foreign Policy', The BBC 'The moderniser's moderniser', The Times 'One of the most influential young men in Britain', The Express

Product Description

Those who believe Europe to be weak and ineffectual are wrong. Turning conventional wisdom on its head Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century sets out a vision for a century in which Europe will dominate, not America. This is the book that will make your mind up about Europe. Those who believe Europe is weak and ineffectual are wrong. Turning conventional wisdom on its head, Mark Leonard, one of the UK's most visionary thinkers, argues that Europe is remaking the world in its own image. Europe only looks dead because it is seen through American eyes. But America's reach is shallow and narrow. It can bribe, bully or impose its will anywhere in the world, but when its back is turned its potency wanes. Europe's reach is broad and deep, spreading its values from Albania to Zambia. It brings other countries into its orbit rather than defining itself against them, and once countries come under the influence of its laws and customs they are changed for ever. This book sets up a challenge: to regard Europe not as a tangle of bureaucracy and regulation, but as a revolutionary model for the future. We cannot afford to forget that Europe was founded to protect us against war and that it is now key to the spread of democracy. 'Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century' addresses Europe's place in the world, looks to the past and the future and argues, provocatively, that it can and will shape a new and better world order.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Not Avail (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007195311
• ISBN-13: 978-0007195312
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,700,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool Europa, November 11, 2005

By	Izaak VanGaalen (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century (Hardcover)

The title of this book is misleading because no one believes Europe will run the 21st century, including the author himself. Mark Leonard is not saying Europe will have the biggest economy or the most powerful military, rather the European way of doing things will be the model of change in the coming century.

In the late 1990's, Leonard was the founder of Tony Blair's think tank, the Foreign Policy Centre, and he was also one of the young turks responsible for the making and the marketing of "cool Britannia." He is currently the head of the Centre for European Reform, and in this slim volume he is attempting to do for the European Union what he did for Great Britain.

Leonard reminds us that the European Union is not a superstate, nor is it a federation or empire. It is more like a decentralized network. He compares the EU to Visa, a company whose logo appears on half a billion credit cards and employs only 3,000 people. Visa is actually owned by the 21,000 financial institutions that use it. The EU, like Visa, is basically an enabling institution rather than an overbearing bureaucracy.

The attraction of the European Union for its members or potential members is its transformational power. It does not threaten with military power, instead the threat of being excluded from the world's largest single market is its most potent weapon. To become a member, a country must transform itself from within and comply with the 80,000 plus pages of law written in Brussels - laws that cover everything from human rights to product development.

Critics will say that this is a superstate, and an undemocratic one at that. Leonard disagrees with this characterization. Not only has the EU rationalized commercial policies and provided a common currency, it has given small and medium-sized countries a voice in an increasingly globalized world. Under the aegis of the EU all the member countries have a say in international negotiations.

Likewise, Leonard claims that on important internal issues such as taxes, pensions, healthcare, and education, Europeans still make decisions on the level of the nation state.

But what about the recent rejection by France and the Netherlands of the EU constitution? No big deal, says Leonard. Europe is always in crisis and it's always debating its future identity, it's just another day at the office. One of the lessons learned from this rejection, however, is that the EU will require more debate and more democracy in the future. For example, on any future expansion of the EU there will be a referendum. If Turkey or the Balkan states want to join, they will not only have to meet all the legal and human rights requirements, they will also have to be accepted by the voters of the member countries. As they famously say, there will have to be a deepening before there can be a widening.

As an optimist and booster of the EU, Leonard is dismissive of the numerous long-term problems that lie ahead. Europe has an overgenerous welfare system that will become even more burdensome as its population ages and declines. And as we have seen recently, many European cities have large pockets of unassimilated immigrants whose numbers are increasing rapidly. Moreover, the high taxation and high regulation stifle business formation and expansion. As he glosses over these issues, Leonard exudes confidence that the European model of law and negotiaton will find a way to solve these problems.

This is an excellent book to familiarize oneself with the European worldview, it is a worldview sharply different from those who still live in the Hobbsian world of power politics.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, quick read, May 29, 2007

By	C. Niedfeldt (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century (Hardcover)

This is a much shorter book than the many others on the EU's power but just as informative. It seems that each EU book takes a different (refreshing) path towards explaining why the EU is going to be the dominant force in the 21st century. The common theme throughout is the focus on community and the belief that together we can build something great for everyone. Their methods for negotiating contracts, treaties, etc. is something the US should learn and take note of. Overall, this is a great, quick read that won't disappoint.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Enlightenment versus narrow self-interest, April 3, 2007

By	Richard J. Petti (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century (Paperback)

The author argues that Europe consists of a commitment to a set of ideas and values, not a political state. America used to strongly attract others, but it increasingly commands and dominates; while Europe attracts and persuades. Europe has reinvented itself in this way after the world wars of the twentieth century, while America has shifted toward market fundamentalism in economics and a triumphalist attitude in foreign policy.

My main criticism is that the book is, admittedly, a polemical piece, written to encourage Europeans to persist in their social model. So it is a bit sugar-coated and uncritical.

This is an important topic for Americans. Another good book on the new culture in Europe is "Postwar" by Tony Judt.