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An Analysis Of The United States' Policy On The Enlargement Of The European Union After The Cold War

Posted on:2009-07-09Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y Q LiuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2166360245957359Subject:Diplomacy
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After World War II, the United States became the major country with significant influence in the world; meanwhile, with the deep integration, Europe has played more and more important role on the international stage. As two important poles in the trendency toward multipolarity, the relationship between the United States and Europe is not as simple as they belong to the west and the Atlantic Community. Under the intermittent tendency of the relationship of the traditional allies, the structural conflict between them revealed. In history, the important moment and process of the EU's integration had great relation with the United States: in the 1940s, Europe started the process of integration with the vigorous push of the United States; and the United States had played important role in the development of European's integration. In some ways, we can say that the development of European's integration is the product of the United State's policy. However, after the cold war, the indepedence of the EU became more and more strong, which was putting the United States behind it. As one of the important poles in the process of the world multipolarity, the enlargement of EU after the cold war directly raised the status and influence of the EU in and out of the European area, while the indirect result is that it challenged traditional authority of the United States in different aspects. Thus, the United States is actively exploring new development of relations between the United States and Europe and taking action to bring the development of the EU back into its global stategy track. On the issue of the enlargement of the EU, the United States believes that on the one hand, it will contribute to the promotion of the transition process of the eastern European countries; on the other hand, the EU's common foreign and security policy may reinforce the stength of the united Europe, enhance Europe's independent tendency, which will probably restrict the influence in Europe of the United States. In response to the enlargement of the EU, the United States formulates a series of policies from its global, regional and national strategic interests for the purpose of safeguarding its national interests and contending against the EU for supremacy in and out the European region.The United States' policy on the enlargement of the EU has proved to be effectiveness in many aspects. However, it places too much emphasis on values consensus with European countries, trying to cover up contradictions and divergence, which may bring about serious negative effect. In 2003, the conflict between the United States and the EU around the war in Iraq is the result of intensification of divergence on values between them. In the following period, although the EU will maintain its enlargement tendency, the United States will elect a new government. It can be predicted that the United States' new government will coordinate the interests of the United States and the EU on the basis of continuing its former government's policy on the EU, making the relations between them more mature and perfect.
Keywords/Search Tags:the enlargement of the Europe Union, the United States' policy, the effect of the policy
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