European Union after Brexit

Abstract

The European Union (EU) during the last decade has shown itself to be less robust than globalists imagined. Globalists believed that supranationality was weatherproof, that it would always outperform national alternatives, and that it would survive adversity. Economic stagnation and Brexit falsified these expectations. This chapter investigates one aspect of the EU’s transnationalist plight — incompatible goals and the difficulty of mutual accommodation, especially during hard times. Globalists contend that the harmony of shared dreams assures that dreams will come true and that there is no need for some nations to impose their will on others. EU experience has belied the supposition. Close investigation reveals that supranational government is less robust than advocates claim, precisely because conflicting national interests make it difficult for members to subscribe to a common dream. This causes some to try to impose their will on others, and dissenters to head for the exits. Latent incompatibility does not doom globalization, but it does expose the vulnerability of globalism’s premises and the schemes propensity to malfunction. Indeed, it is possible that transnationality instead of being a hallmark of EU superiority is an albatross…