Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century Annotated Edition

by Mark Leonard (Author)

24 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-1586484248

ISBN-10: 1586484249

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Those who believe Europe is weak, ineffectual and sclerotic are wrong. Europe might look frail and feeble against American military might, but that expression of power is shallow and narrow. Or so says Mark Leonard, one of Europe's brightest new policy thinkers, in a book sure to stir and provoke his American contemporaries. America's centralized, militarized supremacy, he argues, has become so overwhelming that it has defeated everything, including itself. It's capable of imposing itself anywhere -- but when its back is turned its potency wanes. Europe's reach, by contrast, is broad and deep, spreading a value system from Albania to Zambia. It draws other countries into its orbit rather than seeking to define itself against them, and as they come under the influence of its laws and customs they are changed forever.

Europe, quietly, has rediscovered within its foundations a revolutionary model for the future and an alternative to American hard power. With little fanfare, Europe has pooled the resources and the sovereignty of its nations into a radical new interface -- and a power that is discreetly but insistently shaping the path forward. The revolution they have unleashed, Leonard argues, will transform the world. Whether you are a neocon or a transatlantic traditionalist, a businessmen or financier, his argument is one you cannot afford to ignore.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Leonard is Executive Director of the Open Society Institute for Europe. He is formerly Director of Foreign Policy at the Centre for European Reform and the director of the Foreign Policy Centre. A regular commentator in the world's leading newspapers and journals, he lives in London.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs; Annotated edition (August 7, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 170 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1586484249
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1586484248
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.48 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,914,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,558 in Non-US Legal Systems (Books)
- #2,638 in Comparative Politics
- #4,111 in International Relations (Books)

Customer Reviews:
24 ratings

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Henry Goodspeed

Good job

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2019

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Good read in good condition

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Daniel P. Liderbach

Post-Nation-State

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2009

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The European Union evolved from a steel-and-coal union
to a confedated union that respects the autonomy-in-union
of the increasing number of members. As the union increases
its breadth and depth, Europe might indeed resume the position
of global leadership that it had exercised prior to the end of
the Second World War.

2 people found this helpful

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Zach D.

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2015

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The book was interesting, but not very compelling.

2 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey F. Howe

If you like politics or economics.......

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2010

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Interesting read but does not do enough to take into account he Asian Markets and was written before the significant economic crisis in Europe, which greatly alters some of the content. Worth a read if you are interested in comparative politics or the world economy.

4 people found this helpful

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Janicke Stramer

A thought provoking and fun read

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2013

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Although written in a journalistic way, it provides food for thought and forces the reader to react and confront his or hers own views on the world.

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Donald Hsu

The title is misleading

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2008

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but the truth of the matter Europe is leading for economic development. With 27 countries, 500 million people, a GDP which is much higher than Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), Europe Union is advancing its prosperity leaps and bounds.

I have visited all 27 countries and 10 more: Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. All of these countries cannot wait to get into European Union, except of course, Russia.

One can invest in Europe's future by buying EURO, European mutual fund, etc. This book will give you an interesting perspective why Europeans are different from us.

8 people found this helpful

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RoseThompson

Haven't read it yet.

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014

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I moved to another state, many of my books and CDs were left behind. I am planning to try to find it again, the Title is rather intriguing.

One person found this helpful

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Izaak VanGaalen

Cool Europa

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2005

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.

58 people found this helpful

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Thomas Pirotka

Hat er Recht? Oder nicht? Sollte er überhaupt? Schwierigschwierig.

Reviewed in Germany on July 23, 2009

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Mark Leonhard argumentiert (wie schon einige vor ihm und sicherlich nicht zu Unrecht) dass Europa bis dato das bessere Weltbeherrschungsregime ist, und zwar nicht moralisch, sondern machtpolitisch. Das scheint natürlich zuerst nicht zu stimmen. Hat man sich aber mal angeschaut, wie die Staaten an der europäischen Peripherie sich fundamental hin zur EU neigen, freiwillig und grundsätzlich, aus eigenem Antrieb und ohne Bedrohung, dann wird es einem schon klar, wieviel Macht die EU ausstrahlt. Die Länder die sich als Bräute für einen Beitritt oder ein Assoziierungsabkommen schmücken, verwandeln sich in ihren Grundfesten und für immer. Und wer erst einmal der EU am Haken hängt, kommt nie wieder los, denn er würde auch Touristenströme, Marktzugang, Technologietransfers, und zehntausende weitere Regeln und Regelchen, die ihn ja auch schützen, aufgeben.

So weit so gut.

Aber Mark Leonhard bringt da noch ein "gut so" und "viel mehr davon" mit rein, das leider ein paar Probleme mit sich bringt. Denn solange Europa im Kern undemokratisch ist (und das wird sich auf absehbare Zeit kaum ändern lassen), muss die Frage erlaubt sein, wessen Imperium das eigentlich ist und wer diese Führer lenkt und evtl. stoppt, wenn sie Mist bauen. Denn die Friedenszone EU ist eine tolle Sache aber Macht weckt Begehrlichkeiten. Und wie beim Bestellen einer DSL Leitung sitzt man als Bürger bald zwischen den Stühlen und alle zeigen auf die anderen als Verantwortliche, wenn es schiefläuft.

Es ist wohl ein Verdienst dieses Buches, dass das Progressive, Positive, Expansive der EU einmal mit Pauken und Trompeten vorgestellt wird. Insofern möchte ich eine klare Leseempfehlung aussprechen, vor allem für diejenigen, die das Positive der EU noch nicht wahrgenommen haben. Ob man allerdings alle Schlussfolgerungen und fast amerikanisch-naiv an die eigene zivilisatorische Mission glauben sollte, ist eine andere Frage.

3 people found this helpful

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Mr. Scott Gilbert

Bias

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2007

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It is an interesting read, but will Europe Run the 21st Century? Ask yourself this question if the EC cannot have it own account signed for the 10th year running because they cannot account for the missing money would you like them to run the 21st Century?

If you are Pro EC then buy otherwise dont bother.

4 people found this helpful

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Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century Annotated Edition

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