Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A key strategy for preserving peace in a sprawling, multiethnic state is to respect and cel-
ebrate diversity. As if inspired by America's
e pluribis unum
(“out of many, one”), the
European Union's official motto is
in varietate concordia
(“united in diversity”).
I'm charmed by Europe's ethnic diversity. Hop on a train for two hours and you step
out into a different culture, different language, and different heritage. As I watched Europe
unite, I (like many of my European friends) feared that this diversity would be threatened.
But just the opposite is happening.
In today's Europe, there are three loyalties: region, nation, and Europe. Ask a person
from Munich where he's from, and he'll say, “I'm Bavarian,” or “I'm German,” or “I'm
European,” depending on his generation and his outlook. Ask somebody from Florence,
and she'll say, “I'm Tuscan,” or “I'm Italian,” or “I'm European.”
As Europe unites, established countries are less threatened by “nations without states.”
In 1999, Scotland convened a parliament in Scotland for the first time since 1707…and
London didn't stop them.
