France — once the leader in the movement for a unified Europe — now appears to have cold feet at the prospect of ceding its power to a continental government that could be in power by November 2006.

The country is set to vote May 29 on whether it will accept the European Union’s constitution, and polls indicate the referendum will fail, though the vote could be close. Le Parisien newspaper reported a poll Thursday indicating 52 percent opposed ratifying the constitution — the 20th consecutive poll to find a negative result. The opposition is widely seen as an expression of discontent with domestic politics and the French economy. No matter what the motivation for the vote, its outcome will have repercussions throughout Europe and the world. Given France’s status on the continent — that of co-hegemon, along with Germany — its support is an absolute necessity if the union is to move from a loose economic alliance toward a powerful centralized government —ÿa United States of Europe.

Whether all of this is a positive or negative development is certainly up for interpretation. For the neo-conservatives among us, the failure, or at least delay, of a unified Europe is undoubtedly a good thing, as it assures the United States’ position as the world’s sole superpower. For those who prefer multi-lateralism and who see a new European superpower as a friendly neighbor who can assist in policing the world and spreading freedom, France’s new reluctance must seem like a frustrating and unnecessary obstacle.

The Editorial Board finds itself between these extremes, with concerns both sides can relate to.

The Unites States’ role of sole world superpower during the past 20 years has been a mixed blessing — creating unprecedented possibilities for the spread of American ideals and business, but also sowing discontent that now necessitates the war on terror. We can see a European Union, so long as its interests are mostly in line with those of the United States as a strong and needed ally.

But how can we be sure the Union’s agenda will relate favorably to ours? In just the past few weeks we’ve seen serious fault lines between U.S. and European policy, most notably on the subject of China. European countries were all set to allow arms sales to China, and only rescinded the offer after the increasingly-petulant country organized demonstrations against Japan. Europe’s policy on China was clearly wrong, and could have been dangerously divisive if China hadn’t been so overtly aggressive in the past week.

Given this and other potentially serious disagreements, the drag on a fully-integrated European Union caused by France’s opposition shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing. A longer interim before the establishment of a European Union can give valuable time for the United States and the countries of Europe to work out their most grievous disagreements and align their policies.