I dunno Jim. I have difficulty imagining China being either willing or even able to take over the role of European peacekeeper.

Heck our shared ancestry aside I don't think even we could have performed that role if it weren't for our massive cold war troop presence in Europe and the various effects it had on the host countries.

How many times over the last 500 years has there been 60 years of peace between the Germans, French, British, Dutch, Spanish, Russians, Italians, Turks....?

So out of those countries, which one do you see causing trouble first?

I see Serbia causing some sort of fuss, maybe Russia~Georgia. The Germans have been neutered.

They said the same thing in 1919 :)

I'd say that would be extremely difficult to calculate as it's not only the protagonists you have to look at but also the machinations of the others.

I think your right because I doubt Europe would or could embrace China...too big a cultural change.

If I had to guess, I'd go for Turkey because of the fundamentalist/religious undercurrent in that country.

Don't worry, if Europeans want to start thrasing eachothers heads again, even the US can't stop us