The European Union is the most important organization of which the United States is not a member. The United States is a member of every other multilateral body that can have a serious impact on the country. However, the United States will never be a member of the European Union. Yet, how the EU behaves has an impact on the United States and the world at large. Therefore, the United States needs to find creative ways to work with an institution that is undergoing almost continual change. One of those changes is the effort to adopt a constitutional treaty.

In 2004, European leaders agreed to a constitutional treaty for the European Union. Europeans have long sought to form ""an ever closer union"" through the European Union and its predecessors. Spanning over three hundred pages and over four hundred articles, the constitutional treaty is long and complex, but it also may be a turning point for one of the most interesting actors in international affairs—if it is ratified by the member states.

What do Americans need to know about the EU constitutional treaty? Could a closer union be built on the constitutional treaty and what would that mean for the United States? Will international change make the EU a more influential international actor? This volume offers perspectives on these questions.