CPW4U World Politics Name: Mustafa Humayun

STEP 1: TOPIC SELECTION

The selection here is not exclusive, but is offered as a starting point towards completing the formal argumentative essay.

JUSTIFICATION FOR TOPIC SELECTION:

TOPIC:

The emergence of the European Union has brought great change in the political and economical spectrum. Europe’s influence as a political and socio-economic power will continue to increase and will, eventually, have great sway on global political and economic decisions. The EU represents a potential superpower and all the necessary ingredients are present.

1. Give two reasons why you selected this topic.

a) This is an emerging issue that is open to much debate and questioning. The fact that the groundwork, for an ultimate unification of Europe, has been laid allows much room for future prospects. This topic will allow me to discuss future prospects and I will have the opportunity to interject my personal opinion about the future of international politics.

b) I find this to be an extremely interesting topic. I believe that unification of geographic regions is an interesting trend and will be more apparent in the next century. This is the first step towards the elimination of geopolitical boundaries and I am extremely interested in this sort of politics.

2. Based on your initial survey of reference material, what are three important themes or issues pertinent to this topic? **

1) Europe’s elimination of geo-political boundaries has allowed for greater trade among EU nations. It has also increased Europe’s viability as a trade partner because of the potential access to so many diverse markets, which are accessible as one Union.

2) The creation of a European Parliament, Court of Justice and other regional institutions is laying the groundwork for a possible complete political, economical and cultural unification of Europe. Will Europe ever truly exist as one community?

3) As one of the largest economies of the world, the EU represents a major player in world politics. We have already seen the influence that it is exerting; will its role in inter-governmental politics represent much needed opposition to American hegemony?

3. Name two Books and two Journal Articles that you have consulted about your topic. (Please reference in complete bibliographic format).

Anderson, James. The frontiers of the European Union. New York: Palgrave, 2001.

Lexington. “Old America v New Europe” The Economist, 2/20/03

Roney, Alex. The European Community fact book. London: Kogan Page, 1993.

Risse-Kappen, Thomas. "Exploring the Nature of the Beast: International Relations Theory and the Comparative Policy Analysis Meet the European Union" Journal of Common Market Studies, 10: 3

**Relationship to Politics: See Answer 2 and “The European Union is putting into practice the idea of confederated regions. So far this has been theoretical in politics; the European Union’s success or failure will define international relations in the future.”