Europe Adrift: The Conflicting Demands of Unity, Nationalism, Economic Security, Political Stab Ility, and Military Readiness Now Fac

Focusing on Germany, France and Britain, but also dipping into what he calls ""the troubled Mediterranean,"" Newhouse (War and Peace in the Nuclear Age) finds a lack of direction bordering on chaos just about everywhere in Europe. The Cold War, he argues, had a positive effect on Western Europe in that it unified the various countries under the umbrella of American protection and gave them a common enemy, if not a common purpose. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, that unity is gone, as is any realistic hope of a strong European political union, and a common currency--if it ever happens--will prove to be harmful, Newhouse contends, because the ""single-minded campaign"" to promote the conversion could sidetrack negotiations over the enlargement of the European Monetary Union. Germany is now the major European nation, with France and Britain becoming increasingly less important, but Germany itself remains ""two divided societies."" Newhouse notes that the specter of rampant organized crime haunts the entire continent, while the Western nations seem unwilling or unable to manage events on their very doorsteps (Yugoslavia, for example, and the simmering conflict between Greece and Turkey). Meanwhile, a weak Russia, unable to control its nuclear weapons supply, seems to be becoming a bigger threat than the U.S.S.R. had been. A skillful hands-on reporter, Newhouse has gone into the field and has reached well beyond an academic's well-stocked library. He is also a provocative writer who provides much controversy here. (Sept.)