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Curated by Project Syndicate

The Future of Europe

106 commentaries

After the election of President Emmanuel Macron in France and the return of a centrist grand coalition government in Germany, many hoped that the Franco-German axis would lead the European Union back onto the path of integration. In fact, the EU remains besieged on all sides: not only by Middle East turmoil, a borderline-hostile United States, and the constant threat of Russian aggression, but also from within, by Brexit, populist governments in Central Europe and Italy, and German recalcitrance on institutional reform.

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  1. What Does Europe Have to Offer?
    moyo16_Daniel DayGetty Images_EUflagsun Daniel Day/Getty Images

    What Does Europe Have to Offer?

    Feb 5, 2020 Dambisa Moyo calls on European Union leaders to identify – and convincingly articulate – the bloc's global strengths.

  2. Who Pays for the Green Deal?
    sinn90_DUELGetty Images_euroshadow DUEL/Getty Images

    Who Pays for the Green Deal?

    Jan 21, 2020 Hans-Werner Sinn thinks the EU's latest climate initiative will further undermine the credibility of the European Central Bank.

  3. Will Eurozone Policymakers Take the Long View?
    gros130_shulzGettyImages_graphcoineuro shulz/Getty Images

    Will Eurozone Policymakers Take the Long View?

    Jan 7, 2020 Daniel Gros says continued economic stimulus measures are unlikely to offset the effects of Europe's demographic decline.

  4. Make Europe Relevant Again
    gabriel6_Peter Steffenpicture alliance via Getty Images_amazongermany Peter Steffen/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Make Europe Relevant Again

    Dec 27, 2019 Sigmar Gabriel & Christoph Bornschein lament that in today's contest for technological dominance, the EU finds itself in the role of a mere user.

  5. Three New Year’s Wishes for Britain and the EU
    barnier6_Luciana GuerraPA Images via Getty Images_EUUKbrexitflag Luciana Guerra/PA Images via Getty Images

    Three New Year’s Wishes for Britain and the EU

    Dec 20, 2019 Michel Barnier sets the main goals for negotiations between the European Union and the departing United Kingdom in 2020.

  6. Europe’s Age of Humiliation
    sierakowski49_michaklootwijk Getty Images_EUflageyesad michaklootwijk/Getty Images

    Europe’s Age of Humiliation

    Dec 18, 2019 Sławomir Sierakowski worries that Europe increasingly resembles beleaguered and vulnerable nineteenth-century China.

  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

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