On Merkel, Syria, refugees, and saving the European Union

http://atimes.com/2016/03/on-merkel-syria-refugees-and-saving-the-eu/



On Merkel, Syria, refugees, and saving the European Union
By Francesco Sisci on March 18, 2016

The defeat this week of Chancellor Angela Merkel in German regional elections brings the specter of a European political crisis a step closer. Moreover, it makes the “Brexit” — the exit of Britain from the European Union at the June referendum — more real.

The upshot could be a crisis far worse than a possible collapse of the euro, as economist Francesco Giavazzi stresses, sharing a common feeling among some European intellectuals. It might be the end of the grand European project that shaped the ideas, dreams and hopes of almost three generations born in the old continent — the equivalent of the US facing secession and splitting into 50 independent states. Even worse than the above would be a return of tensions and rivalries that crushed the continent and the planet in two near-fatal world wars.

EU nears eleventh hour

The crisis is triggered by refugees from Syria and Libya who are flooding Europe and threaten to tear apart its social fabric. The wave of refugees is shaking and threatens to overturn existing political agreements over the refugee issue. Some leaders like Merkel are eager to welcome the refugees for humanitarian reasons and to offset Europe’s declining birth rates. Merkel’s rivals, on the other hand, can’t wait to fan up racist rhetoric and worry out loud about the collective cohesion of European states.

To make matters worse, the European Union (EU) is mulling intervention in Libya while feverishly trying to strike a deal with Turkey, which holds the sluice gates that channel Syrian refugees into Europe.