Quote Originally Posted by Bren122 View Post
There is an essential divide at the heart of the European ideal (Germany v France v Britain) that would make it unlikely that Europe will ever be a true Federation like the US or Australia.

At the moment the only countries that count are Britain, France and Germany. No other nation has the same political, military and economic strength of these three. No other nation in Europe has the capacity to challenge them for leadership- and they have no compelling interest to see either of their rivals elevated to a position of authority. Put quite simply there are more reasons for maintaining the current arrangement which allows independent action.
You have a very good point Bren and i am not against what you are saying, but i also believe that at some point things will have to change. At the moment America is dictating without saying a word, and one reason is that their President is the most powerful man in the western world. America is rich, it is powerful on sea, air and land, and the cobination of France, Germany and GB does not get even close. For these three countries that are always bickering at each other to come together, there would have to be a world wide crisis; but even then i think that it would be a coalition of Premiers. One such event would be that the ballance has been tipped towards the United States so much that Europe would be in fear of them. I know this sounds harsh and unreal but shit happens in life, there would then be teritoriel battening down of the hatches. I am not talking about war i am talking about European fear of powerful nations, and that is why Europe has been picking at the British powers for the last twenty years. Russia would not get involved unles they feared a Mongolian/Chinese and asian invasion, and it too would look to Europe, because Russia might be a big country but it still vulnerable from the south. This might not happen in my life time, and it might not happen in yours, but I think that it is the next process in world order. There will be no named federation, there will be only The Americas, Europe as one, and asia, and after all this has been achieved there will still be uncertainty and fear, it is human nature to be untrusting.

Regards ian 2411