Right-wing Nationalism was already on the rise as many people
have grown frustrated with the heavy hand of the Brussels bureaucracy. Internal
immigration, free trade and EU standards have led many to question the EU
project as their own livelihoods and localised cultures have suffered at the
hand of the new arrangement. There are suspicions regarding bureaucrats and
bankers and the new system which arose in earnest from the ashes of the Cold
War.
In the 1990's and even into the early 2000's Europe was
ascendant and there were hopes of rivaling and even surpassing the Americans in
terms of economic power and worldwide cultural influence. The European way
seemed a better path to many as opposed to the rags or riches option America seemed to offer.
The financial crisis tarnished the reputation of Europe and
since then the weaker countries have grown suspicious of not just Brussels but
Paris and Berlin. The EU project was to create an equitable and peaceful Europe
and eliminate nationalist threat and domination. It was supposed to guarantee
peace between France and Germany and allow the other nations to participate in
order to balance power.
In the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis it looked like
the EU had created conditions that allowed France but especially the massive
economy of Germany too all but dominate Europe. Sixty some years after the
conclusion of WWII, Germany was once more seeking the mastery of Europe.
And then the Middle Eastern immigration crisis began in
earnest as well the growth of tensions with Russia over Ukraine and NATO
expansion.
The EU continues to be pushed. They now face the rise Front
National, various right wing parties in Scandinavia and the Low Countries, growing
separatist movements in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. And now the Poles
have elected a Right wing government that has pushed Brussels into crisis mode
and the potential of a coming confrontation.
The United Kingdom wants to renegotiate their status and be
granted exemptions in the realm of finance and immigration. France and Germany
fear a departure, the so-called Brexit but permitting Britain to dictate its
own terms destroys the EU's integrity and claims to moral authority.
Will the EU survive?
US policy especially on the Right has been wary of the EU and
for some time viewed it as a rival. The US wanted NATO as the mechanism which
bound Europe together. The European Community though founded to thwart US
domination wasn't a problem in the 1960's through the 1980's, but the
formalisation of the Union and the later creation of the Eurozone made Europe a
serious geopolitical contender. For a time it seemed like the dollar was under
threat.
As usual the US has worked to undermine aspects of European
power and one of the primary tools was the close alliance with the UK which has
never really considered itself to be part of Europe.
But now more than ever the United States wants the EU to
remain and to avoid splintering. The United States wants to exert influence
through the UK, pacify and unify Europe in order to stand against Russia. One
wonders though if the US wouldn't prefer Right wing regimes to accomplish this
goal? If so, they're seeing considerable success and yet it may push the EU to
the breaking point.
