Nye Article

I agree with Nye's point in "Comparing Common Markets: A Revised Neo-Functionalist Model" that the functionalists model was bound to appear when it did, after two wars that nearly destroyed the continent, massacring much of the population as well. The way to achieve a more lasting peace is to create interdependency between the nations. That is how the European Economic Community first started, a way fro France and Germany to be more peaceful by relying on each other's steel and coal reserves. By uniting the markets, the countries have too much to lose by engaging in another bitterly destructive war. Nye says that the way to fully integrate is not to form a loose coalition based on trade first, but to simply establish a single market in the region first, and let spillover step in from there to achieve more political (common defense and international policies).
I'm not entirely sure that Nye is correct on this one point. Using Europe as an example (simply because there really aren't many others), setting up a common market was a radical step taken only after there had a been a trade union in place for a decade and more. Even when armed with the neo-functionalist theory as a weapon, countries simply won't want to give up their trade rights immediately. They have to be eased into the idea. And even if a country follows through and a common market is established, there is no guarantee of what will follow. Europe is the most integrated community in the world and they still couldn't pass the common EU constitution is France and a few other countries. The world simply isn't read for integration on such a scale yet. So while I do support Nye's general principles peace through trade and economic integration, I think he is stretching at times to expand into what may well be impossible with his theory of political integration.