Why is Europe peaceful today

Abstract

This talk attempts to explain Europe's peacefulness since the Berlin Wall fell. The core argument is that this tranquility is mainly because of Europe's relationship with the United States, which has changed little since the Cold War ended. America continues to act as Europe's pacifier by keeping substantial military forces in the region. Moreover, many European countries have been helping the United States police the globe, which focuses their attention outward, not on each other. © 2010 European Consortium for Political Research.