The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Well, so much for that:
European nations moved to reverse decades of unfettered travel across the continent when a majority of EU governments agreed the need to reinstate national passport controls amid fears of a flood of immigrants fleeing the upheaval in north Africa.
In a serious blow to one of the cornerstones of a united, integrated Europe, EU interior ministers embarked on a radical revision of the passport-free travel regime known as the Schengen system to allow the 26 participating governments to restore border controls.
With Greece rumored to be on the verge of withdrawing from the single currency, probably to be followed by Portugal and Ireland, I'd like to take this opportunity to say "I told you so."
It is a fantasy, of course, of very old standing. The great peace of Innocent III was the expression of just such a fantasy—the notion that the Catholic Church was finally in a position to introduce the City of God into the fractious European political arena. That attempt lasted no more than a generation. Why should this one last longer? No effort to unify Europe has ever succeeded. Most have ended in blood.
... the European Union is historically nuts. It reflects neither the will of a single nation-state, nor the will of an Empire, based on the ability of a central political entity to dominate its periphery, nor some form of established European national identity with deep historic roots. Even the Austro-Hungarian Empire had in Austrian power—diminished as it was after 1866—a stable and powerful center. All of European history—all of world history—argues against a federation with no force to back it up and no way to impose its will on member states. ...
The EU is in effect an empty empire. The only national identities up for grabs are the old national identities of the chief nation states of Europe. And no matter how much the EU bureaucrats try to promote a French into a European identity, what do you know? The people just aren’t buying it.
Is it ungracious to say "I told you so" over and over? I fear that it is. But I did.
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Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Terrific picture.
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
I can't take the credit for it, alas--I just found it on the Internet.
May '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
It's intriguing to ponder where Turkey fits into this. Do the Turkish people still want membership in the EU, if they ever did at all? If the reality of the EU fades, will membership still have any attraction to the Turks?
Iv'e heard that Europe has long been quite skittish regarding the admission of Turkey to the EU. Will they now have a convenient excuse to keep Turkey out?
Being very ignorant about this situation myself, I don't even know if I'm asking the right questions. But I am curious.
Aug '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
For what it's worth (i.e., not much), everyone on Greek television vociferously denies that Greece is going to drop out of the Eurozone. There isn't a politician or pundit who doesn't say that it's a malicious rumor created by Der Spiegel.
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Kervinlee: It's intriguing to ponder where Turkey fits into this. Do the Turkish people still want membership in the EU, if they ever did at all? If the reality of the EU fades, will membership still have any attraction to the Turks?
Iv'e heard that Europe has long been quite skittish regarding the admission of Turkey to the EU. Will they now have a convenient excuse to keep Turkey out?
Being very ignorant about this situation myself, I don't even know if I'm asking the right questions. But I am curious. · May 13 at 2:36am
These are good questions. Let me point you first to some earlier posts on this subject.
May '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Thanks, Claire. It's a stew of many carrots and potatoes, all right. I'm with you when you said:
"Now, anyone familiar with my work will know very well where I stand on directives and regulations issued by Brussels. I was with Margaret Thatcher when she said, "No! No! No!" I'm with her still. Turkey, take it from me: You're probably not missing much."
I always felt that the EU was doomed always to be an ersatz polity - a gang of nations dragged together for - mercantilism? That and being knocked together by elites determined to avert their eyes from Europe's Christian identity - maybe the one idea that could serve to bind the people together. And, people from all nations are just not going to be willing to cast off their national heritages for an economic abstraction.
I think you are also right when you said also:
"If I were Turkish, I wouldn't much want to join the EU. In fact, I'd be paddling as fast as I could away from that sinking ship. But I'd be mad as hell that so little progress has been made on these issues."
Dec '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Twenty years ago, I remember watching a series called "The Beer Hunter" where the host traveled to various regions of Europe to sample and evaluate their beer. Along the way he'd add commentary about the areas he'd visited and call into question what effects the EU would have upon the beer industry and the cultures that helped produce their special brands.
All along I thought to myself that any nation or region that takes that much pride in something as seemingly insignificant as their beer, is not going to go along with a "borderless Europe." Now that would make a great thesis -- Was beer the underlying cause for the breakdown in European unity?
Mar '11
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Having been following the Greek situation very closely for the past year, I can say with reasonable confidence that Greece's exit from the Euro, although possible, is probably the least likely of several bad options, the others being more bailout money from the ECB and Greece restructuring its debt or a combination of the latter two. Many people have come to realize that the main problem with the various European "unification" measures has been the absence of a unified political system with enforcement powers. My view is that Germany and France, to name a couple of countries, would never agree to a real United States of Europe unless each was in the leadership position, which the other would not agree to and neither would most of the other EU countries. This entity, neither a "single nation-state, nor [...] an Empire" may coast along when there's no turbulence but is incapable to manage a crisis.
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Exactly. And what doesn't coast along when there's no turbulence?
Mar '11
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
And what doesn't coast along when there's no turbulence? · May 13 at 4:28am
Don't know, is this a trick question?
May '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Europe was never intended to be unified. The reason it took over the world was its inherent disunity and constant ruthless competition. So many Eurocrats are so heavily invested in the idea, however, that it's going to go down hard, after many enervating bailouts.
What it really needs is a bit of 1848 nationalism, as significant members stand up to Brussels.
PS: Schenge-schenge!
Edited on May 13, 2011 at 3:21pmMar '11
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
If the EU were to dissolve, what is the likelihood that Europe would return to its long and bloody history of internecine war? Much is made in the United States about the evils of the EU, but what of the evils of an un-united Europe? Europe, after all, has not known such a peace as it now enjoys since the Pax Romana collapsed in the fifth century. I wonder how much credit for this peace belongs to the EU, how much to the US, and how much to the fifty year threat of Soviet invasion.
May '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Claire, While I agreed with both yourself and Mrs. Thatcher on the wisdom and the long term future of the Euro, it is not a time to say "I told you so," it is a time to be truly worried and perhaps not a little frightened. It is hard to imagine a solution for Greece, Ireland and perhaps Portugal that does not have at a minimum, severe debt restructuring and massive bank losses. This will make the Spanish cleanup and Italian debt roll over a lot more expensive than they need. Couple these with the Finnish elections and German fed up sentiment + UK challenges and Europe doesn't look very good.
On top of this you have a US fiscal debacle, where we have to find the political will to radically reverse course within a 2-3 years or really bad stuff will happen. Other fiscal disasters like Calif and Ill and lots of municipalities are on top of that.
Japan has debt/GDP of 200+% with a $300Billion restructuring to do.
I think we will be lucky to come out of this period without an economic shock that makes the last one look like child's play.
Mar '11
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
A slight clarification to the Guardian article cited:
France and Italy both want to re-instate some border controls due to the influx of Libyan and Tunisian refugees, a scenario which was actually envisioned by the Schengen treaty and is not very controversial.
At the same time, the Danes unilaterally decided to constrict their borders to prevent immigration from Eastern European countries that are already part of the Schengen area. The decision was justified by a supposed influx of "criminals" from Eastern Europe, and has been met with disapproval from most of the other EU countries.
Mar '11
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Claire, I would like to push back a little on your criticism of the EU.
The changes brought about through the EU run a large gamut from classical liberalization to top-down central planning. When Americans (and many Europeans) think about the EU, the first notions that come to mind are sovereignty- and freedom-depleting projects such as the Euro, redistributive subsidies, over-regulation, unified social/moral laws, etc.
However, having lived in continental Europe for the better part of 10 years, I sense that the bigger effects of "ever-closer union" have been the free-market oriented changes: unfettered movement of people, goods, capital, and ideas, as embodied by the Schengen treaty. These reforms have been unqualified successes, and should be cheered by anyone who supports liberalization in the true sense of the word.
Unfortunately, Eurocrats are usually a self-selecting group which fantasizes about the "United States of Europe," while poo-pooing the capitalist aspects of the USA which have actually worked to make us more successful.
Mar '11
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Based on my experiences here, this will not be possible for many more generations. Most Western Europeans today seem to truly believe that war is no longer necessary for civilized countries. If the EU dissolves, I imagine some bilateral agreements, while everyone else will resign themselves to their slow decline.
Apologies for serial posting.
Jul '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
The fallen state of man is why all the left's schemes to create paradise on earth fail in the end. They believe in the perfectibility of mankind but conservatives know better. More power concentrated in fewer hands enhances the likelihood of evil outcomes: conservatives also understand that. The Brussels bureaucratic loom spinning its endless rules and regulations to control human behavior was doomed from the start. Blame human nature. Bad people will always find a way around them. The Greek desire to live large on the sweat from the German brow by cooking the books is just the latest example.
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
I have been for a long time. I wake up worried and go to sleep worried. No one wants to have been right about something like this.
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Mendel:
However, having lived in continental Europe for the better part of 10 years, I sense that the bigger effects of "ever-closer union" have been the free-market oriented changes: unfettered movement of people, goods, capital, and ideas, as embodied by the Schengen treaty. These reforms have been unqualified successes, and should be cheered by anyone who supports liberalization in the true sense of the word.
Unfortunately, Eurocrats are usually a self-selecting group which fantasizes about the "United States of Europe," while poo-pooing the capitalist aspects of the USA which have actually worked to make us more successful. · May 13 at 7:04am
I don't think we're disagreeing, are we?
May '10
Re: The End of the Fantasy of a United Europe
Mendel
Based on my experiences here, this will not be possible for many more generations. Most Western Europeans today seem to truly believe that war is no longer necessary for civilized countries. If the EU dissolves, I imagine some bilateral agreements, while everyone else will resign themselves to their slow decline.
Apologies for serial posting. · May 13 at 7:14am
I agree. The Europeans seem to have settled into a comfortable state of simply nagging and rhetorically posturing against one another in their national rivalries. If a conflict were to break out, it would likely be between a few the smaller countries in Central and Eastern Europe where nationalism remain a bit more cogent than in the west, and the possibility of Russian aggrandizement exists. Even there, though, I don't see it as likely.
That said, I'm never inclined to completely discount a possible return to totalitarianism of some form to Europe...however unlikely it might seems at any given moment.