Economics

إعادة بناء السياسة الأوروبية

May 15, 2014 Harold James

برينستون ــ يشعر العديد من الأوروبيين بالرهبة الشديدة من النتائج المحتملة لانتخابات البرلمان الأوروبي المقبلة: الظهور القوي للأحزاب المناهضة لأوروبا، والتي يكاد يكون من المؤكد أنها ستحاول تقديم نفسها بوصفها الفائز الحقيقي. ولكن الندم لن يحل أزمة الاتحاد الأوروبي السياسية.

وتمتد الأزمة إلى أبعاد عميقة. ففي أيامنا هذه أصبحت الأحزاب المناهضة لأوروبا ــ جبهة مارين لوبان الوطنية في فرنسا، وحزب الحرية بقيادة خيرت فيلدرز في هولندا، وحزب الاستقلال بقيادة نايجل فاراج في المملكة المتحدة ــ الأكثر فعالية في تنظيم نفسها في "أسرة" سياسية واحدة. وفي الوقت ذاته فقدت الأسر الراسخة ــ الديمقراطيون الاجتماعيون والليبراليون وكتلة حزب الشعب الأوروبي ــ مصداقيتها في نظر كثير من الأوروبيين.

والمشكلة أن الأسس الفكرية والأخلاقية التي تقوم عليها الأحزاب الأوروبية القديمة تآكلت بسرعة في السنوات الأخيرة، ويرجع هذا جزئياً إلى إخفاقها ــ أو عجزها ــ في التكيف مع الترتيبات على مستوى الاتحاد الأوروبي. وإذا لم تسارع إلى التحرك لإعادة ترسيخ أنفسها كممثلة فعّالة وذات مصداقية لمصالح الناخبين، فإنها تخاطر بالتلاشي في الخلفية السياسية، والسماح للشعبويين غير المسؤولين تدريجياً باحتلال مركز الصدارة.

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Harold James

Writing for PS since 2001
215 Commentaries

Harold James is Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University. A specialist on German economic history and on globalization, he is a co-author of The Euro and The Battle of Ideas, and the author of The Creation and Destruction of Value: The Globalization Cycle, Krupp: A History of the Legendary German Firm, Making the European Monetary Union, and The War of Words.

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Paul Daley May 20, 2014

How large would a one-time levy have to be to make a dent in public debt? An annual levy is probably what's called for.
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Edward Ponderer May 19, 2014

There are two ways to look at it--from a unified European level, or from a European nation perspective. The analysis from the former is that Europe is cutting off its nose to spite its face. From the latter perspective, its countries are holding their breaths until they turn blue in the face. Pretty much the same dualism in anti-unity perspectives from individual competitors up to international blocs and cartels.

We are in a globalizing system by nature, not politics. We are entwining as body, organ systems, organs, tissues, and cells -- the whole evolutionary shebang. The only politics is that of egoism, and if we don't get over this fractal disease quickly (muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis from above and flesh-eating bacteria and tuberculosis from below), the inevitable integral humanity is going to arrive on the scene as one very sick puppy...
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Zsolt Hermann May 18, 2014

There is indeed no political solution for Europe's unity problem as there is no economical or financial solution either.
As long as everybody, even the most ardent proponents see the Union and the common currency as a "necessary evil" they need to swallow for economic, financial or even political purposes, as long as there is nobody who could "sell" the European idea as a positive, attractive idea that everybody benefits from, each and every new attempt will fail, and those benefiting from the chaos and problems will take even what has already been established apart.
As with all the other facets of the global crisis, people think bad things will only happen in the future sometime, underestimating the actual crisis we are already in, thus the potential devastation of the forthcoming European elections is also significantly downplayed.
There is no other solution but a comprehensive education program for every social layer, every age group, national, educational and cultural subgroup, from leaders to the last person on the street to explain what it means to exist in a globally interconnected and interdependent system, and that in such integral system only mutually complementing collaboration can give us a platform for the future.
And not partial unions, partial alliances, but a full integration.
We already have all the necessary scientific research, field data from the daily events of the crisis, we just have to put the whole picture together for everybody to clearly see we have no other option but connection and integration, and not simply to save our sinking ship, but in order to elevate our lifestyle, existence to a previously unprecedented higher quality level.
- Edward Ponderer May 19, 2014
  
  There are two ways to look at it--from a unified European level, or from a European nation perspective. The analysis from the former is that Europe is cutting off its nose to spite its face. From the latter perspective, its countries are holding their breaths until they turn blue in the face. Pretty much the same dualism in anti-unity perspectives from individual competitors up to international blocs and cartels.
  
  We are in a globalizing system by nature, not politics. We are entwining as body, organ systems, organs, tissues, and cells -- the whole evolutionary shebang. The only politics is that of egoism, and if we don't get over this fractal disease quickly (muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis from above and flesh-eating bacteria and tuberculosis from below), the inevitable integral humanity is going to arrive on the scene as one very sick puppy...
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
- Edward Ponderer May 19, 2014
  
  There are two ways to look at it--from a unified European level, or from a European nation perspective. The analysis from the former is that Europe is cutting off its nose to spite its face. From the latter perspective, its countries are holding their breaths until they turn blue in the face. Pretty much the same dualism in anti-unity perspectives from individual competitors up to international blocs and cartels.
  
  We are in a globalizing system by nature, not politics. We are entwining as body, organ systems, organs, tissues, and cells -- the whole evolutionary shebang. The only politics is that of egoism, and if we don't get over this fractal disease quickly (muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis from above and flesh-eating bacteria and tuberculosis from below), the inevitable integral humanity is going to arrive on the scene as one very sick puppy...
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.

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إعادة بناء السياسة الأوروبية

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