...Grillo, or even, the Mummy Sivio Berlusconi[2]. Though this has shocked many observers around the world, their respective electoral fate is rooted in the growing skepticism of Italian voters towards their political class and Brussels. Let us start with Mario Monti, the unelected technocratic incumbent Prime Minister. Since taking office from Silvio Berlusconi, in November 2011, Monti has been applauded by many international observers. During his...
...k, Sanusi Lamido, cautioned those who see China as a friend, a saviour, in a recent Financial Times editorial. It would do well for the Cypriots to heed his words before “looking east” for help. Additionally, policymakers in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris, would balk at the intrusion of the east into the EU, furthering the impression that Brussels is weak when faced from rising powers. The choice Cyprus faces is not pleasant, and the prospect of a...
...ion with unemployment and restricted opportunities. The future of the European Union is still uncertain, and full of daunting challenges; in order to succeed it must stop alienating national populations and convince them that Brussels is not just a meeting club for elitist bureaucrats. The fact is, however, that the European Union is one of the most exciting and ambitious challenges ever set in motion by politicians. Nobel Peace Prize or not, it...
...nations of the EU have a combined population of about 500 million. Despite his pro-EU stance, Paet also warned against any acceleration of EU power, calling himself “skeptical of revolutionary ideas…to give more authority to Brussels,” because of an overabundance of concern about the EU amongst Europeans. I got the sense that both speakers felt as if they needed to defend the concept of the European Union—to establish its continued legitimacy—be...
...distance from the West, a high share of seats in the first election, etc. All of these factors correlate with democratization. Furthermore, on the spectrum from West to East, countries go from richer to poorer, from close to Brussels to close to Beijing, and from predominantly Protestant or Catholic to predominantly Muslim. Orenstein said no conclusion could be definitively drawn, but the EU is considered one of a set of factors playing a role i...
...can countries on human rights when our own shortcomings are painfully evident. Now is the time for the citizens of the European Union to use their mandate, then. Legislation that affords so much political potential outside of Brussels has been rare and must be exercised to its full potential to have any effect. This does not imply that there are not other issues facing the EU, and serious ones at that: the Euro crisis has exhausted everyone, and...
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