Europethe dream, the ideal, even the Continent's vaunted " Year"seems dead, or nearly so. Only twelve months ago, Western Europe appeared to be moving euphorically toward political and economic integration. Building on a successful customs union and a common agriculture program, leaders of the Common Market nations envisioned a true Continental community by the end of the decade. The vision is fading fast. Europe has settled into a state of dejection and disarray. So gloomy is the mood that some of the most dedicated pan-Europeanists are even questioning the very future of traditional parliamentary democracy.
Minority governments are attempting to rule...