The following article by IWP alumnus Benjamin Fricke was published by the Political Developments Research Center.
The potential disintegration of the European Union is currently not an issue seriously discussed. The political mainstream continues to view the survival of the common currency as unquestionable. However, the signs are clear and profound change is about to fundamentally alter Europe. The Postwar era is ending.
The Ancient Regime of the European Union will disappear and eventually give way to a new European order. The demise of the system began long ago. Some of the more obvious signs of this are the European Central Bank’s (ECB) soft currency approach based on Quantitative Easing or printing money, the recent victory of the left wing and anti-austerity SYRIZA party in Greece and the increasing discontent on the streets of Europe. Whether it is: economic decay, austerity measures, the demand for more democracy or the independence movements in some EU states, Europe’s troubles are numerous. All these developments are symptoms of a failed moral, political and socio-economic paradigm.
Yet, what will come after the EU is gone? There are a number of possibilities but some are more probable than others. And for Europe to find answers for its future, it should truthfully study its history.
One likely scenario is that a new system of alliances will emerge in Europe that heavily emphasizes free trade and business. The north-south split in Europe as well as the mentality gap between post-communist countries and those that never suffered from communism has always been notable. A realignment of ethnic and cultural understanding has grown more evident again as well. Peaceful multi-culturalism without geostrategic and ‘spheres of influence’ thinking have never worked in the history of mankind. No reason to believe it will work in the future.