Comments 3

欧洲政治的重构

May 15, 2014 Harold James

普林斯顿—许多欧洲人担心即将到来的欧洲议会选举可能产生这样的结果：反欧洲反对党表现抢眼，并且几乎肯定将成为真正的赢家。但绝望无法解决欧盟的政治危机。

这场危机有其深刻根源。如今，反欧洲政党——马琳·勒庞（Marine Le Pen）的法国国民阵线（National Front），吉尔特·怀尔德（Geert Wilder）的荷兰自由党（Party for Freedom）以及尼格尔·法拉奇（Nigel Farage）的英国独立党（Independence Party）——在联手打造政治“家庭”方面卓有成效。与此同时，老牌“家庭”——社会民主党、自由党和欧洲人民党（European People’s Party）——在许多欧洲人眼里已经信誉扫地。

问题在于老欧洲党派的知识和道德基础在最近几年快速削弱，部分原因在于它们没能——或无力——适应欧洲层面的制度。如果它们无法快速行动起来重塑自己作为可信、高效的选民利益代表的形象，它们就有可能沦为政治背景，让不负责任的民粹主义逐渐占据中心舞台。

To continue reading, please log in or enter your email address.

Registration is quick and easy and requires only your email address. If you already have an account with us, please log in. Or subscribe now for unlimited access.

Featured

What’s Been Stopping the Left?

Apr 10, 2018 Dani Rodrik
Political Machismo

Apr 10, 2018 Ian Buruma
Will China Really Supplant US Economic Hegemony?

Apr 2, 2018 Kenneth Rogoff
Should Tech Companies Be More Tightly Regulated?

Mar 30, 2018 Simon Johnson
Liberal World Order, R.I.P.

Mar 21, 2018 Richard N. Haass

Harold James

Writing for PS since 2001
142 Commentaries

Harold James is Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University and a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation. A specialist on German economic history and on globalization, he is a co-author of the new book 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, and Making the European Monetary Union.

0 Comments on this paragraph, 5 in all 5 Comments on this article

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.
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...
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...
- 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...