![]() ![]() Germany had been defeated and divided into two occupation zones: a Western one, governed by Britain, France and the United States, and an Eastern one, administered by the Soviet Union. The starting point for the first set of explanations or arguments is the particular situation Europe found itself in at the end of World War II. These should not necessarily be seen as competing explanations - although they are sometimes presented in this way - but rather as different "lenses" through which to focus on a particular aspect of the puzzle. ![]() ![]() In this essay I will set out three sets of explanations which are debated in the literature 1) Cold War overlay arguments 2) democracy and economic interdependence arguments and 3) security community arguments. It is not surprising, therefore, that scholars working within the discipline of International Relations have been eager to explain this apparent puzzle in an effort to see this state of affairs maintained and/or to transfer any "lessons learned" to other regions of the world. That is if one excludes the Balkan wars of the 1990s, something I will return to below. Since the end of World War II, no wars have been fought in Europe. It is quite remarkable that a continent, which for much of its modern history was embroiled in internecine warfare, now seems to be one of the most stable regions of the world. Laust Schouenborg, PhD Candidate, London School of Economics and Visiting Fellow, Forum on Contemporary Europe ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |