Out of many....One

Day after day we see further evidence of what appears to be America's economic decline.  European economies seem mired in a kind of economic quicksand.  But suppose instead of seeking individual isolationist solutions, that the U.S. and Europe could create a kind of transatlantic economic union?

Clausewitz said that diplomacy was simply war by other means.  Today it might be fair to say the same of international trade.  As both America and Europe asses their roles in the 21st century, it's important that we access every aspect of of power, including as both a marketplace for and a purveyor of goods. 

Imagine if at America s birth, the 13 colonies had decided to go it alone.  For all the criticism of the EU and NAFTA today, arguably the world is a better place because of them.

These are a few of the ideas that spring from Richard Rosecrance in The Resurgence of the West: How a Transatlantic Union Can Prevent War and Restore the United States and Europe.

Richard Rosecrance is senior fellow, adjunct professor, and director of the U.S.-China Relations Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is also Distinguished Research Professor, UCLA, where he was the former director of the Burkle Center for International Relations.

My conversation with Richard Rosecrance: