“Europe must show it can provide solutions to problems facing people today,” INSEAD Political Science Professor Douglas Webber told the AAPA on March 12 at Cafe Falstaff. “It’s not enough today just to keep the peace,” he added, referring to one of the key pillars of European unity following WWII.
Professor Webber spoke broadly about his recently-published book, European Disintegration? The Politics of Crisis in the European Union (Macmillan International).He pointed to four crises straining the EU: The Eurozone crisis, Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, Shengen and the refugee crisis, and Brexit. Webber believes each of the above crises has made European integration stronger, and that only a united France and Germany can lead and support further integration.
Speaking against the background of a looming Brexit, Webber forecast, “Both the UK and the EU will be less influential” when/if the UK leaves the Europaen Union.
– Shellie Karabell