Challenges and opportunities arising from the expansion of the Essay

Challenges and opportunities arising from the expansion of the European Union - Essay Example e significant changes in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 and this momentous event has had numerous ramifications for this multilateral organization. How should the EU expand? Should it continue to move eastward towards the former Yugoslavia or even expand towards Istanbul? Can a majority-Muslim country, i.e. Turkey, actually be European? Seeking to address these questions and many more with respect to European growth in the twenty-first century, the following will provide a comprehensive overview of a fascinating phenomenon. After the fall of communism and state-sponsored socialism at the end of the twenty-first century, the European Union has had to face many challenges dealing with integration and potential enlargement. This essay will explore the demand for eastern growth within the EU and look at the consequences, both intended and unintended of enlargement. The focus will be on Turkey and the ramifications of this controversial expansion. Following this, thi s essay will conclude with broad prescriptions for the future growth of what remains the most powerful multilateral political organization on the planet (Warleigh 2004). The European Union is a multilateral political body composed of a variety of different states, found throughout continental Europe and within the European region. While the composition of each member state differs from a social, political or economic perspective, the members of the EU share a common bond and common values such as pluralism, democracy and the belief is collective negotiation to achieve regional aims. Accordingly, multilateralism is an important feature of the modern EU, and numerous different interests – national as well as regional – are represented within an overarching transnational political framework. Significantly, the EU’s multilateral political framework insures that all member states subscribe to commonly-held principles such as democracy and at its base, capitalist economic