EU: 20 Joër nom Mauerfall – Back To The Future?

Et wäert an den nächsten 3 Wochen ewuel e besschen méi roueg hei ginn, well ech fir den 7. Dezember alleguerten meng Essay’en an Critical Reviews muss ofginn. Fir eng Arbescht muss ech Europa noom Kaale Krich ennert d’Lupp huelen, e.a. heescht et do natiirlech den 53-säitegen “Artikel” vum JJ Mearsheimer (Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War) duerchgoen. En aaneren interessanten Artikel well ech ierch awer net firenthaalen. Déi vielleicht wichtegst Zitater vum Artikel, voilà ^^

[…]The reality of the expanded European Union is a far cry from former German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s suggestion that “what belongs together is growing together.” There is still a considerable gap in wealth between the “old” and “new”member states. Especially worrying is the fact that the lower classes in the new member states, compared to similar groups in the old member states, are significantly further from the average European standard of living.[…]

[…T]he deficiencies of European foreign policy have […] been exposed in the European Union’s handling of the genocides in Africa, both in Rwanda in 1994 and in present-day Darfur. The European Union and its member states were very active in expanding the protection of international human rights; they have also given their support to the international principle of the “responsibility to protect,” which offers protection from genocide and massive human rights violations to the populations of all countries. But, in the past 20 years, whenever these words had to be backed up with actions, Europe has been content to let other countries, especially the United States, take the lead. At the same time, the Bush administration has left behind not only various disasters in international relations, but alsoa vacuum in global leadership. President Barack Obama will need years simply to restore the legitimacy of American foreign policy. In the meantime, Europe will be urgently needed to help fill the leadership gap.[…]

[…] Since 1992,when a French referendum over the introduction of a common currency nearly failed, it has been clear that the era of “permissive consensus” has come to an end: In other words, most Europeans are no longer willing to passively and silently accept European unification. Underscoring that point are the French and Dutch rejections of the 2005 constitutional treaty and the Irish”no” to the Lisbon Treaty in 2008.
The question of legitimacy is not restricted to intra-EU policies. […] It will not be long before populists on the far left and right draw political capital from this situation. […]

[…]Until now, the European Union — despite its inclusion in the Middle East Quartet — has always been reluctant to propose solutions to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Instead, Europe has essentially hidden behind the United States. Now, after eight years of the Bush administration, America has lost nearly all of its credibility, and it is going to be a while before President Obama can do anything to significantly reestablish it. There is a need, in other words, for the European Union and its member states to play a larger role — not least, because the European Union has pro-Arab as well as pro-Israeli positions represented in its institutions and among its member states.
The European Union could credibly serve as an honest broker in the region — if it only wanted to. […]

De ganzen (klengen) Artikel, deen vum Thomas Risse – Direkter vum ‘Center for Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy’ un der Freie Universität Berlin an dem Gregor Walter-Drop en “research assistant” an deem Centre geschriwwe gouf, kennt der hei ganz noliesen.