Europe in the 21st Century

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Europe in the 21st Century
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Final Exam

• Saturday, April 12th
• 300-500 p.m.
• ED1014

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A different place than at the turn of the last
century

• A more peaceful place
• Skirmishes, sometimes nasty ones, but no threat
  of war at the core
• Germany united, domesticated a normal country
  not a threat to others

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A continent of liberal democracies

• 1970s Democratization of Spain, Greece
  Portugal, Central and Eastern Europe
• Communist regimes and state socialism gone
• Vestiges in Russia, Belarus, other former Soviet
  Republics (stans)
• No real threat despite changing posture of
  Putins Russia
• Few authoritarian regimes
• those which remain are on its peripheries, not in
  its core

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A prosperous Europe

• Class distinctions faded
• A place where people enjoy social mobility and
  extended life chances
• Despite cutbacks, welfare states intact, safety
  nets remain in place
• But not necessarily for all
• Problems of immigrants and entitlement societies

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Comfortable life styles

• Extended life chances
• Sufficient vacation time to enjoy themselves
• Diminishing religiosity diminished conflicts
  over religion
• Differences between Catholics Protestants all
  but reconciled even in Northern Ireland
• But questions about the position of Islam,
  Muslims

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A more united Europe

• EU enlarged, but in some senses stalled
• Not clear that it can become deeper
• Or that citizens want it to be
• But there nevertheless
• In some respects, the worlds most successful
  peace order
• And a fact of life
• Present in how people do business, cross borders,
  even if not in everyday life
• European law supercedes national law

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The EU

• Constitutional Treaty fails
• Impaled by French and Dutch referenda
• But institutional reforms incorporated into the
  Lisbon Treaty needed to adapted institutions
  designed for 6 to an EU of 27
• A fact of life for member-state governments
• Something which they have to deal with and make
  work
• Even if they want to reserve certain domains for
  themselves

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Lingering problems

• Environment
• Immigration and asylum
• Discomfort with immigrants
• Unease with multiculturalism and different values
• Yet, immigration needed
• With lower birthrates shorter work hours
  early retirements, uncertain whether European
  welfare states can be sustained

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Party politics

• Reflecting disgruntlement with the EU,
  immigrants, elites increased support for new
  right parties
• Party systems increasingly crowded
• But no indication that a larger number of parties
  threatens liberal democracy

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Europe in the world

• Beginning of the century and up to WWII
  colonies, power politics
• Post-World War II soft power, liberal
  internationalism (constructive dialogue, slow
  elaboration of common values and legal principles
  and norms)
• Exception (colonial disentanglement, Suez,
  Falklands)
• An economic giant and a political pygmy?

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Europe as a laboratory

• The evolution of the concept and practice of
  sovereignty and nation/state
• Europe as a post-modern space?
• What will Europe be at the end of the first
  century of the third millennium?