If Europe were a democracy,
all of its citizens would have had a say in whether the United Kingdom
leaves or remains in the European Union. After all, it is not the just
the fate of the British that Brexit would affect, but also the quality and longevity of the entire European project.
The EU, as it turns 65, is showing grave sclerosis, and
voices—nationalist, populist, and sometimes xenophobic—are calling for
its dissolution. The moment has thus come, if it has not already passed,
to prune the dead wood of the tree to save the trunk.
The European Union’s
original mission was more political than economic, as were its greatest
successes. The union was designed to put an end to perpetual conflict
between France and Germany. It succeeded, ending a millennium of intra-European wars
in the process. The union also brilliantly helped Eastern European
countries quickly transition from decades of Russian tutelage following
the disintegration of the Soviet Union. In parallel to the political
project, over the decades, Europeans created an integrated economic
space, culminating in the adoption of a single currency at the turn of the millennium.
The problem is that, over
time, the economic dimension of the European project has overtaken its
political and cultural aspects. Losing sight of all that Europe could
be, the poorest regions and members came to see the union as a giant
ATM. The richest believed it to be a money pit for their taxes.For full article, visit- https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-kingdom/2016-06-21/please-leave
