The European Union
The European integration project was launched in the aftermath of World War II as a means of making war between European states impossible. By the 1970s, this romantic aspiration for an ever closer union of Europeans gave way to a project focused on enhancing the global competitiveness of Europe's economies. In this course we will investigate the tension between these two visions of an integrated Europe by focusing on the historical evolution of the European Union and its institutions, practical and conceptual problems encountered in the integration process, and recent challenges posed by sharing a single currency and having open borders. 3 hrs. lect./disc. (International Relations and Foreign Policy)/