The-Low-Countries
19-04-2007, 20:00
Hello, this essay is about the possibility of Europe becoming a Superpower, not to replace the USA but to rival its power. I will be saying a lot of things like: This is better in the EU then in the USA. This is not to play down the USA, its just that for the EU to surpass or catch up or whatever to the USA, the EU will need to be better in things then the USA. All facts are facts, taken from the UN, the IMF, nationmaster.com (who gets its facts from the UN, IMF etc…), Eurostat, CIA, OECD, and other similar organisations. Some things of course are open to interpretation but I have tried to stick to the facts given to me and how they are interpreted by both sides of the debate.
It seems as though many have already forgotten, that the USA hasn't been the sole superpower forever, there was another one. This other superpower fell apart, the Soviet Union. It is believed by many that America is the victor (which I also believe is the case) and therefore will forever remain the sole power. I am not one of those people that thinks it will remain, why some can’t understand that is an unsolved riddle to me, it could be that many are just blinded by sheer patriotism and just refuse to consider the possibility, it could also just be that they judge the fact differently which I hope is the true cause. I am not saying they see it the wrong way because right now it can go both ways and there isn’t a soul alive who can know, besides nobody predicted the fall of the Soviet Union even after the wall fell.
If you look at superstition and religion you will find that the EU is the next superpower, at least the bible says it will be, Nostradamus also predicts it, he managed to predict the A-bomb to a few years in accuracy while he lived in the late middle ages. But I myself don’t believe in all that, I am a man of science who believes that there is nothing regulating history and the future besides our own choices.
Now you may have guessed it, I think it’s the EU that is the next superpower, and by next I don’t mean it will replace the current one and that it will be the last one but that it will be a superpower to rival the other(s). The European Union however will be a totally different superpower then the current one, the USA. The USA is a so called hard power that essentially uses its military as the tool to get that power. The EU is more likely to be the soft power, meaning it will gain its supremacy threw diplomacy, aid and economic muscle.
The European Union has, since a few years, passed the United States in being the #1 economy of the world, looking at the difference in GDP you get this (IMF 2006 figures):
European Union: $14.527.000.000.000 in international dollars.
United States: $13.220.000.000.000 in international dollars.
When you take a look at the worlds largest and most profitable organisations/companies you will see a trend that has been going on for over a decade, the EU is getting a larger share of this pie while the USA is dropping, its even reached the point that there are more European companies then American companies in the top 500 companies of the world.
When we look even further into the future with the facts we have today and the trends of yesterday (which is all we have to go on, besides patriotic gut feelings), we find that the US economy is slowing down although it is unknown howmuch it will slow down, whilst at the same time the EU economy is in the midst of economic acceleration. At the same time the EU Inflation is stable at a level below the 2,0% mark and the inflation of the USA only seems to be accelerating to higher levels, combatting that would cause the US economy to be damaged further so one way or the other, the USA isn't looking to shiny. This means that European economic dominance over the USA, as it stands right now that is, should only grow. This evermore so if you take into account the difference between inflation and economic growth, the smaller the difference, the smaller the ACTUAL wealth growth even if you have a 900% economic growth with a 899% inflation, you only get 1% richer.
Another positive factor for Europe is that the Euro is becoming more and more popular for the world because of an expected nose dive of the US dollar, this is not necessarily bad for the USA because the losses on the financial market are compensated by increased exports due to the cheap dollar. But it most certainly is profitable for the EU economy who will suddenly attract much more investment into it’s currency. On a side note there is even talk in the EU, India, China, Japan about making the Euro the international Currency.
Innovation is also a strong point for Europe, although it is not nearly as close to the level of Japanese innovation it is a very innovative group of nations. In the recent report of the OECD about education you will find that western Europe ranks almost all the high spots for education and innovation while the Americans barely managed spot 18 (out of 31), this also goes for the recent UN’s education report where the USA reached spot 28 with Europe again filling most of the spots above that. This can also be seen in the amount of important inventions made by EU nations. This is all mainly due to the fact that there aren’t huge differences in the level of education given to the rich and to the poor, in most EU nations even a small difference is (almost) non existent.
Foreign dependency in Europe is also very low if you compare it to other (semi)superpowers, the EU right now is the only (semi)superpower nation/region that is really focussed on alternative energy recourses. For everything besides fossil fuels (including food, labour, Ores, wood etc), Europe is pretty much self-sufficient. And it is the (semi)superpower that will be least impacted by an oil/gas embargo by its suppliers because of its alternative energy program. In my opinion this is a very smart policy.
Productivity is also a major factor for economic success, when you look at various reports from the IMF, UN and the OECD you will find that whilst Europeans work FAR less then Americans in terms of clock hours, the productivity per employee is not much different. This also means that the European lifestyle leaves a whole lot more time to do what you want for fun. This is also a mentality difference, the USA is often a more work focussed nation while the EU is often a more “fun” focussed region. This is much more attractive to other people which means that the cultural influence of the EU can be expected to be higher.
On the social front, Europe is also very advanced, poverty in the EU is very low compared to the other rich nations when you take into account the percentage of poverty stricken citizens and the line between poverty and median income used to make that assessment (this line is pretty high so what is considered poor in the EU can still be seen as median in USA and Japan etc.). National healthcare is also far more attractive to people then privatized healthcare. The reasons for this are extremely simple, in privatized systems it has been proven that prices for medical treatment will run out of control, look at the USA where you have to pay at least 3 times as much in the USA for an in all respects identical procedure in Germany. This also always leaves uninsured people that essentially get not much more then a morphine shot to cover the pain of cancer because they can’t pay for chemotherapy (exagerated but close to the truth). This difference is already a factor that makes it more lucrative to be socially identical to the EU then to the USA. Meaning in the sense of cultural influence, the EU will have a larger sphere of influence and thus cultural power.
Now on the international political stage there’s also a very peculiar development taking place, the EU is by FAR the largest foreign aid donators of the (semi)superpowers. In the latest numbers the USA gives about 19 billion international dollars in foreign aid a year while the top 6 EU nations alone already give more then 40 billion a year in foreign aid with a nation of 520 billion in GDP already giving 9 billion. Now you don’t need to be a genius to know that nations will be most loyal to the nations that help them out the most. What also aids the EU is the fact that these past 10 years, the world has sought more and more distance from the USA due to its 'with us or without us' politics and the idea that the USA picks on nations they don't like, there is a vacuum, Europe with it’s more diplomatic/pacifistic policy is an easy filler of this vacuum.
When it comes to the Military, the EU will most likely not become the #1 power, this is because the EU is comparatively pacifistic. But the EU still has 300 billion international dollars in defence budget every the USA, is 600 billion of which 100 billion goes to the Iraq war and the 3rd military budget is somewhere in the 45 billion region however you can expect that China is misleading the world and has about 100 billion dollars in defence budget. The EU is not one single unit when it comes to defence, however military technology is on par with the USA and due to the EU’s higher innovation level it shouldn’t get any less. What outsiders fail to notice is that nations like Germany and The Netherlands have very well integrated armed forces, and not just those two, many others. There are also rapidly growing EU (note <<EU>>) army’s, navy’s and air forces. Missions are already being done under the EU flag and EU commanders.
Other factors that way in to the EU becoming/being a superpower:
-The 3rd largest labour force, with only China and India ahead of them.
-The 3rd largest population size, with only China and India ahead of them.
-A sizeable Nuclear force.
Now in a good essay, you also name the things that oppose your own ideas, and ofcourse prove them wrong so I will:
The EU has a few problems in its way, but point me one country that didn’t have problems during it’s formation, even after the American civil war… The Americans had problems, the Russians still can’t settle down after centuries. So comparatively the problems of the EU are minor.
One of the few real arguments against the EU coming together is Eastern Europe, to be more exact, it’s poverty. I believe that this is actually the thing that will keep the EU ahead economically. It also gives the EU a large population edge. Ireland was yesterday what eastern Europe is today, so was Spain, Portugal even Italy. Look at them now, Italy is in the G8, Spain is an economic great power and rich, Portugal is pretty rich not the richest but rich. Ireland is even richer then the USA and still growing at a pace you only really see in China. And we see it today, Poland is a large country with a great economic growth rate, the Czech Republic has come out from the level of poor and is actually starting to turn into a rich nation. This is happening threw all of Eastern Europe. The EU is not just what happens today, it’s what happens tomorrow too. The rise of Eastern Europe is great for the rest of Europe’s trade, look at Ireland, the UK is trading like never before with that nation.
The Culture is different, and this is true. But I’ve lived in both the USA and the EU. And I can tell you the difference in culture between Belgium and Poland for example is no bigger then one US state to the other. Yes there’s a culture difference, but it tends to be highly over exaggerated.
What about the EU constitution? It’s bound to come up, no EU debate lives without it, doesn’t it? Well lets do some analysis first before we jump to shallow conclusions. The constitution already exists and is already into power, the EU constitution actually is NOTHING more then the combination of previously signed treaties. Also the no’s really only came from nations in which the government was unpopular, the people didn’t vote against the EU but against their own government. Look at France and the Netherlands. Both Governments were at there all time lows in popularity. Saying that Europeans are again strong EU… .That would be just like saying Americans love terrorists just because Americans disapprove of bringing their moral standards down to those of Al-Qaeda just to combat Al-Qaeda.
I hope you enjoyed my Essay.
It seems as though many have already forgotten, that the USA hasn't been the sole superpower forever, there was another one. This other superpower fell apart, the Soviet Union. It is believed by many that America is the victor (which I also believe is the case) and therefore will forever remain the sole power. I am not one of those people that thinks it will remain, why some can’t understand that is an unsolved riddle to me, it could be that many are just blinded by sheer patriotism and just refuse to consider the possibility, it could also just be that they judge the fact differently which I hope is the true cause. I am not saying they see it the wrong way because right now it can go both ways and there isn’t a soul alive who can know, besides nobody predicted the fall of the Soviet Union even after the wall fell.
If you look at superstition and religion you will find that the EU is the next superpower, at least the bible says it will be, Nostradamus also predicts it, he managed to predict the A-bomb to a few years in accuracy while he lived in the late middle ages. But I myself don’t believe in all that, I am a man of science who believes that there is nothing regulating history and the future besides our own choices.
Now you may have guessed it, I think it’s the EU that is the next superpower, and by next I don’t mean it will replace the current one and that it will be the last one but that it will be a superpower to rival the other(s). The European Union however will be a totally different superpower then the current one, the USA. The USA is a so called hard power that essentially uses its military as the tool to get that power. The EU is more likely to be the soft power, meaning it will gain its supremacy threw diplomacy, aid and economic muscle.
The European Union has, since a few years, passed the United States in being the #1 economy of the world, looking at the difference in GDP you get this (IMF 2006 figures):
European Union: $14.527.000.000.000 in international dollars.
United States: $13.220.000.000.000 in international dollars.
When you take a look at the worlds largest and most profitable organisations/companies you will see a trend that has been going on for over a decade, the EU is getting a larger share of this pie while the USA is dropping, its even reached the point that there are more European companies then American companies in the top 500 companies of the world.
When we look even further into the future with the facts we have today and the trends of yesterday (which is all we have to go on, besides patriotic gut feelings), we find that the US economy is slowing down although it is unknown howmuch it will slow down, whilst at the same time the EU economy is in the midst of economic acceleration. At the same time the EU Inflation is stable at a level below the 2,0% mark and the inflation of the USA only seems to be accelerating to higher levels, combatting that would cause the US economy to be damaged further so one way or the other, the USA isn't looking to shiny. This means that European economic dominance over the USA, as it stands right now that is, should only grow. This evermore so if you take into account the difference between inflation and economic growth, the smaller the difference, the smaller the ACTUAL wealth growth even if you have a 900% economic growth with a 899% inflation, you only get 1% richer.
Another positive factor for Europe is that the Euro is becoming more and more popular for the world because of an expected nose dive of the US dollar, this is not necessarily bad for the USA because the losses on the financial market are compensated by increased exports due to the cheap dollar. But it most certainly is profitable for the EU economy who will suddenly attract much more investment into it’s currency. On a side note there is even talk in the EU, India, China, Japan about making the Euro the international Currency.
Innovation is also a strong point for Europe, although it is not nearly as close to the level of Japanese innovation it is a very innovative group of nations. In the recent report of the OECD about education you will find that western Europe ranks almost all the high spots for education and innovation while the Americans barely managed spot 18 (out of 31), this also goes for the recent UN’s education report where the USA reached spot 28 with Europe again filling most of the spots above that. This can also be seen in the amount of important inventions made by EU nations. This is all mainly due to the fact that there aren’t huge differences in the level of education given to the rich and to the poor, in most EU nations even a small difference is (almost) non existent.
Foreign dependency in Europe is also very low if you compare it to other (semi)superpowers, the EU right now is the only (semi)superpower nation/region that is really focussed on alternative energy recourses. For everything besides fossil fuels (including food, labour, Ores, wood etc), Europe is pretty much self-sufficient. And it is the (semi)superpower that will be least impacted by an oil/gas embargo by its suppliers because of its alternative energy program. In my opinion this is a very smart policy.
Productivity is also a major factor for economic success, when you look at various reports from the IMF, UN and the OECD you will find that whilst Europeans work FAR less then Americans in terms of clock hours, the productivity per employee is not much different. This also means that the European lifestyle leaves a whole lot more time to do what you want for fun. This is also a mentality difference, the USA is often a more work focussed nation while the EU is often a more “fun” focussed region. This is much more attractive to other people which means that the cultural influence of the EU can be expected to be higher.
On the social front, Europe is also very advanced, poverty in the EU is very low compared to the other rich nations when you take into account the percentage of poverty stricken citizens and the line between poverty and median income used to make that assessment (this line is pretty high so what is considered poor in the EU can still be seen as median in USA and Japan etc.). National healthcare is also far more attractive to people then privatized healthcare. The reasons for this are extremely simple, in privatized systems it has been proven that prices for medical treatment will run out of control, look at the USA where you have to pay at least 3 times as much in the USA for an in all respects identical procedure in Germany. This also always leaves uninsured people that essentially get not much more then a morphine shot to cover the pain of cancer because they can’t pay for chemotherapy (exagerated but close to the truth). This difference is already a factor that makes it more lucrative to be socially identical to the EU then to the USA. Meaning in the sense of cultural influence, the EU will have a larger sphere of influence and thus cultural power.
Now on the international political stage there’s also a very peculiar development taking place, the EU is by FAR the largest foreign aid donators of the (semi)superpowers. In the latest numbers the USA gives about 19 billion international dollars in foreign aid a year while the top 6 EU nations alone already give more then 40 billion a year in foreign aid with a nation of 520 billion in GDP already giving 9 billion. Now you don’t need to be a genius to know that nations will be most loyal to the nations that help them out the most. What also aids the EU is the fact that these past 10 years, the world has sought more and more distance from the USA due to its 'with us or without us' politics and the idea that the USA picks on nations they don't like, there is a vacuum, Europe with it’s more diplomatic/pacifistic policy is an easy filler of this vacuum.
When it comes to the Military, the EU will most likely not become the #1 power, this is because the EU is comparatively pacifistic. But the EU still has 300 billion international dollars in defence budget every the USA, is 600 billion of which 100 billion goes to the Iraq war and the 3rd military budget is somewhere in the 45 billion region however you can expect that China is misleading the world and has about 100 billion dollars in defence budget. The EU is not one single unit when it comes to defence, however military technology is on par with the USA and due to the EU’s higher innovation level it shouldn’t get any less. What outsiders fail to notice is that nations like Germany and The Netherlands have very well integrated armed forces, and not just those two, many others. There are also rapidly growing EU (note <<EU>>) army’s, navy’s and air forces. Missions are already being done under the EU flag and EU commanders.
Other factors that way in to the EU becoming/being a superpower:
-The 3rd largest labour force, with only China and India ahead of them.
-The 3rd largest population size, with only China and India ahead of them.
-A sizeable Nuclear force.
Now in a good essay, you also name the things that oppose your own ideas, and ofcourse prove them wrong so I will:
The EU has a few problems in its way, but point me one country that didn’t have problems during it’s formation, even after the American civil war… The Americans had problems, the Russians still can’t settle down after centuries. So comparatively the problems of the EU are minor.
One of the few real arguments against the EU coming together is Eastern Europe, to be more exact, it’s poverty. I believe that this is actually the thing that will keep the EU ahead economically. It also gives the EU a large population edge. Ireland was yesterday what eastern Europe is today, so was Spain, Portugal even Italy. Look at them now, Italy is in the G8, Spain is an economic great power and rich, Portugal is pretty rich not the richest but rich. Ireland is even richer then the USA and still growing at a pace you only really see in China. And we see it today, Poland is a large country with a great economic growth rate, the Czech Republic has come out from the level of poor and is actually starting to turn into a rich nation. This is happening threw all of Eastern Europe. The EU is not just what happens today, it’s what happens tomorrow too. The rise of Eastern Europe is great for the rest of Europe’s trade, look at Ireland, the UK is trading like never before with that nation.
The Culture is different, and this is true. But I’ve lived in both the USA and the EU. And I can tell you the difference in culture between Belgium and Poland for example is no bigger then one US state to the other. Yes there’s a culture difference, but it tends to be highly over exaggerated.
What about the EU constitution? It’s bound to come up, no EU debate lives without it, doesn’t it? Well lets do some analysis first before we jump to shallow conclusions. The constitution already exists and is already into power, the EU constitution actually is NOTHING more then the combination of previously signed treaties. Also the no’s really only came from nations in which the government was unpopular, the people didn’t vote against the EU but against their own government. Look at France and the Netherlands. Both Governments were at there all time lows in popularity. Saying that Europeans are again strong EU… .That would be just like saying Americans love terrorists just because Americans disapprove of bringing their moral standards down to those of Al-Qaeda just to combat Al-Qaeda.
I hope you enjoyed my Essay.