Integration v. disintegration

Read more about the European Union puzzle in an insightful article by Christopher Bickerton in Le Monde Diplomatique. The author has given a pretty good panoramic description of the background behind current turmoil... Will the European Union have the same fate as the Soviet Union? But the Soviet Union was based on forceful integration and totalitarian, maximalistic perception of 'Union,' whereas the European Union is based on Western liberal democratic principles... But does it matter? Perhaps, the United States experiment cannot be duplicated? (of course, it took a very bloody war in the US to keep the Union). Perhaps, the 21st century that continued the late 20th century highly nationalistic and secessionist movements will result in the re-making of the world map even further.

Was Napoleon's dream of 'United States of Europe' so unrealizable? Skeptics should recognize though that the European countries are still moving towards integration, but on what terms, what conditions, and to what degree, that is the question...

It should also be remembered that integration takes much, much longer than disintegration, which only needs seconds... The Soviet Union was building up since 1920s and yet, it collapsed in the matter of 4-5 years... One of the theories of physics is that it takes longer for a soluble to be created than it takes for it to dissolve...

E Pluribus Unum?

Very interesting developments are on the way with regard to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty of the European Union. I earlier posted about the basics of this Treaty here. Now, however, following Ireland, Poland, Chech Republic and Germany have declined to ratify it, presenting various counter-arguments on the basis of various motivations... One of the most vociferous concerns is that the Treaty is inconsistent with local/domestic laws... This is a classic example of the clash of the universality with exceptionalism. While European countries at some level are interested in a stronger union, understanding the big advantages, they also resist shedding their 'exceptionalistic' cultural tendencies... Each wants special treatment and special recognition... Perhaps, Lisbon Treaty should be modified to amalgamate these voices... It is unfortunate that nationalism is always a problem in the world.

European Union is facing serious challenges that could very much affect its very existence... Some analysts blame these events on the United States. They claim the U.S. policy is to 'divide and rule' and that it would not be in the interests of the U.S. to have a strong European Union... But this is only one of the angles and possibilities... One could argue that in fact a stronger EU would be very handy to the U.S. given its difficulties in the Middle East...

(EuroUnion symbol above, statue in Austria)

(for more here and here)

(Virtual visit to Europe with Patricia Kaas here)

Unionists

Secessionism and the so-called Kosovo precedent is seeing its countertrend too. Moldova, a former republic of the Soviet Union, and some groups in neighboring Romania are contemplating a union. Like many other republics Moldova has severely deteriorated in many aspects as a result of the independence and the collapse of the USSR. With a weak economy and high poverty numbers it is in search for unification, this time not with Russia, a long-time ally, but with European Union. Who would resist such a temptation? Ethnically, culturally and linguistically Moldovans and Romanians share a lot. While not every country in the EU would welcome the move given the economic advantages and inherent responsibilities, it is something to watch for in the coming future... In the upcoming NATO summit it is quite possible that Romania will seek the 'blessing' of the Alliance for this interesting possibility. For more read.

Turkey and EU

Turkey has long worked to join the European Union. It is a candidate country. But most Europeans, as suggested by studies and analysis, are not willing to embrace Turkey into their Union for a host of reasons. First, culture and religion. While Turkey strives to be a secular state, its Constitution is strongly cultural in enshrining extreme nationalism, Ata-Turk. Culture is the strongest link to religion. Given the recent wave of Islamic extremism, Europeans are expressing deep concerns over Turkey's cultural heritage. Second, very importantly, the Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide and the historic battle with Greece over Cyprus is really disappointing to many Europeans, especially Austria, Germany and France (here). Jacques Chirac, the former French President, repeatedly mentioned this issue when faced with Turkey's bid for the membership. (here) While UK is the most optimistic, given US-Turkish relations and the NATO membership, most Europeans are simply pessimistic. Given Germany's full acknowledgment of its past atrocities and the Jewish Holocaust, Turkish denial seems so immoral to most conscientious Europeans.

The studies have in fact shown that Europeans are much more willing to embrace Russia into the EU, which is elevating and inspiring for many Russians, who for decades felt deprived of any good-will on part of Western European countries. The Cold War legacy and Western criticism of Putin's policies are still a challenge for this process. But Russians seem very optimistic that they will overcome those. (here)

Another issue must be mentioned. It is not only cultural and ideological concerns that dominate in the minds of Europeans. The influx of immigrants from Islamic countries and the economic recession in Europe make Europeans (like Americans) resist immigrants and any more members joining EU. After all, joining the EU would mean fully taking part of the economic advantages.

Islamic law and gay's rights

The International Lesbian and Gay Association founded in 1978 has been actively fighting globally against discrimination of gays. Now it has more than 600 member organizations. Recently it has celebrated the World Day against the Death Penalty-- October 10. This day was also marked as the first European Day against Death Penalty proclaimed by the Council of Europe on September 27, 2007. 7 countries in the world punish consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex by death: Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Nigeria. What do most of these countries have in common-- the unreformed sharia law. Talk about the need for reforming the Islamic law! (See my upcoming paper on Islamic Law)...

(Listen and watch the video clip of Liberta by Al Bano and Romina Power here)

European Union and the Death Penalty

Article 2 (2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union stipulates, "No one shall be condemned to the death penalty, or executed." Subsection (1) furthermore states, "Everyone has the right to life." http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32000X1218(01):EN:HTML.
Accordingly, the member states do not impose the death penalty. Russia, planning to integrate into the EU, has also abolished the death penalty. Despite this, the U.S. is not even planning to make steps in that direction. The two outdated theoretical justifications: retribution and deterrence, are not even brought up any more because they do not work in practice. The crime rate in the U.S. is not any lower than that of any EU country. But most people in America still want the death penalty... Interestingly, the conservatives are the strongest supporters despite their also very strong support for the right to life. They fight for the unborn fetus giving it a priority over the woman's choice for abortion, while ardently supporting death for the criminals.
Of course, the unborn child is not a criminal. But there is something strange about it. "Eye for an eye" concepts remind of the Middle Ages. Do we want to return to those times as a nation? That is the question.