RELEASE EMBARGO DATE: April 22, 2014 at 9:00 AM

Panel: Back to Modernity in the EU? (G1)
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 22, 2014 / 13:00-14:15
Talking Points for: Kim Nam-Kook, Korea University

Modern era has started above all with the invention of individual who has belief in reason and science under the emergence of nation state as the dominant political entity. The nation state solved problem of social integration through mobilization of ethnic nation and that of political legitimacy through establishing procedural democracy based on free and equal individuals. Despite its contribution to the achievement of democracy, nation state often worked as exclusive mechanism and caused wars of fatal destruction. From the beginning, the European Union was the modern project which aimed to contain people’s fear of another war through planning of institutional cooperation based on confidence of reason and the power of science. We expect the evolution of the EU from modern power to a post modern example as a unique and exceptional international player, but that way would not be in the end of unilateral future as this modern project assumes, but in the midst of past which goes far back to the medieval era of plurilateral governance.