Let's not forget that this era of cooperation and peace in Europe has only been around for about 60 years, virtually nothing in the context of human history. It may seem implausible to us now that the current world order should ever be upturned, just as it seemed utterly implausible to the average citizen of Rome or the Assyrian empire that their world orders would eventually come to and end. I agree that the nation-state paradigm will probably eventually run its course and without nations the question is moot, but war in general I'm inclined to believe will be around as long as we are.

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Jamie Tyroler on May 7, 2008, 1:14 AM

How quickly people forget – in the 1990’s, there was war in the former Yugoslavia – largely due to ethnic differences. Other than the Balkans, many Western European nations have been engaged in other wars – Gulf War (Iraq invading Kuwait), current Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

There’s a pretty huge gap in incomes and standards of living between much of Western Europe compared to much of Eastern Europe, including Russia and the former Soviet states.

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