Recent disagreements in transatlantic relations have resulted in numerous lessons that member states and citizens may learn collectively and individually. In Europe's Union on the eve of enlargement, the first lesson is strikingly clear. It resonates particularly to the leaders in the European Council and the Convention on the Future of Europe. Make European citizens an integral part of the Union's reality.

Is this not already the case in light of the single European market (SEM) and the achievement of the Euro? Not exactly, in that these ambitious European projects realize another objective. As cornerstone accomplishments, the SEM and the Euro respond to an earlier, necessary historical vocation. Its message resounded no less urgently. Bring the reality of Europe's Community and its newly formed Union to the citizens of its member states.

Our first lesson is illustrated in the Draft EU Constitution that includes, in Title VI, Articles 33-37 regarding the democratic life of the Union. Article 34(1) is clear on this matter in that "Every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union." Article 3, in Title I, states unequivocally the Union's objectives. According to Article 3(1) "The Union's aim is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples." This is a reference to the initial vocation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)- to make war between France and Germany impossible.

This is the aim to which the Union also should aspire in the world. Making war impossible is a vocation for which citizens across the Union's member states express unwavering support. It is a message that their leaders advocate in the search to create a just world order. The goal is likely to remain elusive as long as arms sales continue to make small-scale wars probable and the support of military dictators in poorer countries possible. The Iraq crisis demonstrated the citizens' alternative point of view to that of military conflict, expressed by the liberal democratic majority. This strength, rooted in participatory action, revealed itself in adverse circumstances. It is a reality on which the Union can build as it engages in constitutional reform to increase popular involvement.

Concretely, the right to participate brings us to a second lesson driven home by transatlantic disagreements. Cherish diversity in aspirations for unity. Democratic participation offers citizens a stake in the Union's evolution. It also creates a European consciousness. This consciousness is developed constructively through experiences of diverse cultures, languages and traditions in the Union. It is not merely the result of actions taken in opposition to other countries.

There are different ways to promote a European consciousness. All require the creative use of imagination, a desire to innovate and energy to realize. One idea is to establish a shared curricular offering for elementary schools across the Union. This curriculum would teach children about the lives of historical figures responsible for European integration. Simple lessons could be designed in multiple languages with biographies and photos of personalities. In a spirit of inquiry, these lessons would help us to learn about the obstacles Europe had to overcome to establish its Union. The offering could also be made available in a series of learning modules on the Web as part of civics instruction, open to Europeans across the Continent and to other peoples around the globe.

Another idea is to create a website about a conflict in Europe that has its roots in nationalism. At least one example already exists along these lines, The Cyprus Conflict, http://www.cyprus-conflict.net. This is an educational website that aims to construct a common historical narrative. Here we discover a way to use the Web to create shared "place making" to foster mutual understanding, tolerance and reconciliation.

Citizen participation in a Union requires that Europeans have a reference point early in life that orients their curiosity to its emerging political reality. In the 21st century, lifelong learning in all its forms, including the use of information technologies, is destined to impact on democratic participation in novel ways. The Union's future leaders are already experiencing Europe's emerging polity in the education they choose. By traveling to countries other than their native lands, learning third and fourth languages, including that of Web-based communication, and experiencing worlds outside Brussels, the next generation of leaders is preparing to assume the responsibilities inherent in the complex nature of unity.

In so doing, they realize that Europe is as much a state of mind as a market and a currency, constructed in daily experiences that form the thread of life. The crisis in Iraq showed this generation the need for Europe as an actor in world politics with an articulate voice and a message that is heard.

Other lessons we learn from the transatlantic disagreements of previous months are perhaps the most fundamental and groundbreaking. Renew the transatlantic partnership from the ground up. Use the communications revolution to create an extended popular family. Forge citizens' bonds across the Atlantic for the family members to stay in touch. The origins of TIESWeb emphasized this vision. The extension of the Newropeans Democracy Marathon across the Atlantic embodies these aspirations. Two initial Newropeans programs in one day recently in New York demonstrated that travel for transatlantic understanding is a reality. This reality may, in the not too distant future, make "the peoples' concorde" a necessity.

The crisis in Iraq and the transatlantic misunderstandings that resulted illustrate that European Union and transatlantic partnership are indispensable elements to sustain peace in the new century. Adverse circumstances can present us all with opportunities to realize this fundamental premise.