Problem:
The current crisis in the European monetary union has many observers warning that not only will the Euro currency collapse, but also the entire European integration project. How would you answer such a cautioning statement? Instead of explaining current specific incidents or predicting the probable results, the emphasis should be on describing the larger context for how we should understand the developing anxiety. Why do we analyze such problems (as the hesitation and disputes over how to answer the current dilemma), and what pieces of the expansion and configuration of the European Union must we know in order to properly evaluate statements about the collapse of monetary union and the integration of Europe at large?