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| United we stand divided we fall |
This week’s bombings in Brussels shattered
the peace, and the sense of self-confidence, in the heart of the
European Union. The Islamic State militants who carried them out may yet
achieve a much larger goal: speeding the breakup of the 28-country bloc
that is the grandest geopolitical project since the Second World War.
Even
before the massacre, the EU – based on lofty ideals about the free
movement of people, money and ideas – was reeling from a seemingly
endless series of body blows. There was the refugee crisis, the spectre
of Britain voting to leave and the rise of parties of extreme right and
left, movements united only by their anti-EU positions. All these
problems were exacerbated by Tuesday’s bloodshed.
Throw
in the continent’s lingering economic malaise – symbolized by shocking
jobless rates in Mediterranean countries – and an institution that was
lauded just four years ago with a Nobel Peace Prize for its role in
maintaining stability in Europe seems at genuine risk of falling apart.
That
reality is just starting to sink into the institutional, clubby
atmosphere of Brussels, a world of expense accounts, black BMWs and
cushy high-paying jobs. Samir Benelcaid, a Belgian radio talk-show host
who broadcasts in French and Arabic, said “people in Brussels didn’t
really worry about the future of the EU” even though they were involved
in shaping it.
The mentality is starting to change since
this week’s bombings. “My own view is that Europe is falling down,” Mr.
Benelcaid said. “The EU is facing so many issues with no responses, like
migration, terrorism, unemployment. They give billions and billions of
euros to young people for jobs formation and there are no results.”
The
questions facing the EU post-Brussels are whether the bloc is just one,
or perhaps two, more blows away from shattering – and whether the
threat of disintegration will persuade the EU’s leaders and citizens
that their union is worth saving.
Read more: Brussels tragedy strikes at the heart of an already fragile European Union - The Globe and Mail
