- 28 Apr 2004 14:38
#158870
Rostem - sure you can revert back to the original discussion if you want. But I can't ignore your excuse for doing so.
Of course we can't 'predict the future' - a point which is just as relevant to our recent argument as to the thread at large - but the only way to argue about it is to define reasonable trends and speculate as to what these trends will lead to on the basis of past results.
As I have done consistently, I would again point out that no matter how *astounded* or *gobsmacked* you might be at the idea of future EU integration, the trends - the reasonable extrapolation of current experiences and past histories - suggest that further EU integration is on the cards.
Now, as for whether the EU will challenge the US hegemony. Well, in terms of raw employment figures perhaps it won't. Then again, Europe has a much more diverse and flexible population than the US. It often has a more moderate and agreeable stance in matters diplomatic and political. And its economic markets don't seem so unstable - correct me if I'm wrong.
An aging population is a problem for most Western countries - America isn't excluded from this. Europe will understandably have a period of economic hardship while the states of Eastern Europe are integrated into the new economic structure, but one would suspect that if and when this occurs, Europe will be in a unique position to rival the US.
Of course we can't 'predict the future' - a point which is just as relevant to our recent argument as to the thread at large - but the only way to argue about it is to define reasonable trends and speculate as to what these trends will lead to on the basis of past results.
As I have done consistently, I would again point out that no matter how *astounded* or *gobsmacked* you might be at the idea of future EU integration, the trends - the reasonable extrapolation of current experiences and past histories - suggest that further EU integration is on the cards.
Now, as for whether the EU will challenge the US hegemony. Well, in terms of raw employment figures perhaps it won't. Then again, Europe has a much more diverse and flexible population than the US. It often has a more moderate and agreeable stance in matters diplomatic and political. And its economic markets don't seem so unstable - correct me if I'm wrong.
An aging population is a problem for most Western countries - America isn't excluded from this. Europe will understandably have a period of economic hardship while the states of Eastern Europe are integrated into the new economic structure, but one would suspect that if and when this occurs, Europe will be in a unique position to rival the US.