The geopolitical erthquakes of 1989-1992 – the end of the Cold War in 1989, German unification in 1990 and the disappereance of the Soviet Union in 1992 – have radically transformed the bipolar system that prevailed in Europe for more than 40 years. The Continent is no longer divided into two ostile military blocs and competing social and economic systems, and for the first time in decades the possibility of a true pan-European system – “a Europe from the atlantics to the Urals” – seems to have emerged.
The essays in the book examine the possibilities, opportunities and dangers of that new system from the unique perspectives of the East, Central and West Europeans themselves. In six of the chapters, authors from Russia (Henri Trofimenko), Poland (Jerzy Nowak), Germany (Christian Hacke), France (Nicole Gnesotto), Great Britain (Robert Skidelsky) and Italy (Sergio Romano) present not only their own views on the new Europe, but also focus on the particular hopes, ambitions and preoccupations of their compatriots and national leaders. David Calleo’s introduction looks at the major differences among the various national perspectives and for the coomon grounds among them.