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Begin New Search Topic European Union Author Jacques Rupnik

1. Explaining Eastern Europe: The Crisis of Liberalism

Author:
Jacques Rupnik
Publication Date:
07-2018
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Democracy
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
Thirty years ago in Central and Eastern Europe, belief in an open society and a sense of reasserted national and indeed European identity seemed to go hand-in-hand. Today this has changed: Through the combination of the rise of “illiberal democracy” and heightened concerns about identity in the face of the migrant wave, the authoritarian and sovereigntist turn in Central Europe has revealed a rupture in the fabric of the European Union. This draws to a close the post-1989 liberal cycle, but perhaps also the longer cycle associated with the Enlightenment, which is now more than two-hundred years old.
Topic:
Nationalism, European Union, Democracy, Liberal Order, Post Cold War, and Illiberal Democracy
Political Geography:
Europe

2. Europe At The Crossroads: Democracy, Neighborhoods, Migrations

Author:
Jacques Rupnik and Pavel Seifter
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Vaclav Havel Library
Abstract:
or the last two decades two issues have dominated the European agenda: the launch of the euro (deepening) and the Eastern enlargement of the EU (widening). The latter had been largely been considered a success in overcoming of the post-war East-West divide. The for- mer has over the last decade revealed its flaws and opened up another divide inside the EU, between North and South. Both aspects are relevant to understanding the EU’s capacity to respond to the exter- nal crisis it faces: the simultaneous implosion of its Eastern and Southern neighbours. The Ukrainian ‘Euromaidan’ crisis and the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 as well as the emergence of “Islamic State” (ISIS) in the aftermath of the Arab Spring have caught the EU unawares. Both have shattered the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and confronted Europe with new security issues as well as an unprecedented migration wave. The starting point of the Vaclav Havel European Dialogues, was that the interdependence of our fates as Europeans in the context of the above-mentioned crisis was not just a matter for states and EU institutions but also for all citizens living within the Union. Hence the proposal to meet annually in Prague, under the auspices of the Vaclav Havel Library, to discuss with lead- ing European voices on the subject, our present predicament, the interaction of the internal and external crisis, and the ways in which they transform our national and European politics. Three main related themes regarding the crises, their interpretations and our capacity to respond were addressed in successive conferences of the Vaclav Havel European Dialogues be- tween 2014 and 2016: European democracy in times of crisis, the implosion of the EU’s neigh- bourhoods and the related security issues and finally migrations and its impact on our politics.
Topic:
Migration, Regional Cooperation, European Union, and Democracy
Political Geography:
Europe