I would also question whether this period of peace in Europe is really due to the EU. The EU and it&#x27;s predecessors certainly contributed to it, but I would argue it&#x27;s a marginal contribution. If you look at world history after WWII you see that major conflicts - between two powerful nations - have largely disappeared. Instead we got a slew of proxy wars: US vs. China in Korea, US vs. China&#x2F;USSR in Vietnam or Iran vs. Saudi Arabia in Syria more recently. I think the reason for this is purely economical. No country can afford in the late 20th century to break all diplomatic ties with another country (and their allies), so instead of engaging in an all out war they support local regimes or mercenaries whilst maintaining the necessary economic relations with supporters of opposing regimes. In Europe meanwhile the economies have become so interconnected (even before the EU) that any war would mean economic devastation for the whole region and is thus an impossible course for any regime.