Old Europe, New Europe, Core Europe ─ Transatlantic Relations After The Iraq War

Shortly after the hostilities of the Iraq War were declared to have come toan end, the renowned philosopher Jurgen Habermas, with the endorsement ofJacques Derrida, published a manifesto invoking the notion of a "coreEurope," distinct from both the British and the "new" Europeancandidates for EU membership, and defined above all by its secular,Enlightenment and social-democratic traditions. A key component of themanifesto was its insistence on the need for a counterweight to the perceivedinfluence of the US, a theme that also resonates in recent discussions aboutthe establishment of a European military force outside the command structuresof NATO.

On the same weekend in May 2003, a number of other leading intellectuals,among them Umberto Eco, Gianni Vattimo and Richard Rorty, published essaysaddressing these themes in major European newspapers, and almost immediatelyresponses to these essays began to appear. The writings sparked a lively debateabout the nature of "Europe" and transatlantic relations thatreverberates through contemporary discussion.

This volume provides readers in the Anglophone world the opportunity to gainaccess to the debate. As the fallout from the Iraq war continues to rumble andEU expansion continues apace, this is compelling reading for anyone interestedin the future of Europe and the transatlantic alliance. With contributions byJurgen Habermas, Jacques Derrida, Umberto Eco, Adolf Muschg, Richard Rorty,Fernando Savater, Gianni Vattimo, Susan Sontag, Timothy Garton Ash, Iris MarionYoung, Ulrich Beck, Adam Krzeminski and others.