Empire by Integration: The United States and European Integration, 1945-1996
Author(s)
Lundestad, Geir
Abstract
The United States, as other greate powers, protected its interests. Its domination was, however, based on American values, in the way other powers had exercised domination based on theirs. On the American side, these values left a remarkably wide scope for European self-organization. Thus, while the United States certainly protected its superior role, it did so in a rather different way than other great powers. Perhaps we could call this policy hegemony, or even “empire” by integration. This chapter will deal with these issues as well as the impact that American policy had on the development of European integration and some final words on whether the American-European relationship stand today and where its going in the future.
