Report - Marwa Shaheen - Beth:

After the end of World War II, the Europeans came to the conviction that the European continent had witnessed enough wars and destruction, as this continent was the scene of two world wars that changed the face of history, and brought about radical modifications to the global political map.

As a result of these ideas, European leaders decided to increase the bonds of peace in the European continent, by increasing the dependence of European countries on each other economically and commercially, and the subsequent rapprochement between the peoples of the continent, which kept the specter of war away from Europe as much as possible. The fruits of this economic cooperation that took place in Europe is the union that was able to achieve European unity, albeit in relative terms, that is, the European Union.

How did this union arise, and was it actually able to achieve European unity? And what are the most prominent differences among the member states that may pose a threat to the continuity of the union?

What is the nature of the European Union?

The European Union was created in order to maintain peace and democracy and to improve cooperation between European countries. It is a unique economic and political union of 28 countries (27 in 2019 after Brexit). These countries form and adopt with each other common legislation and policies, for the purposes, among other things, of promoting human rights at the internal level and around the world. The trend is to adopt the Common Foreign and Security Policy in 1993. However, member states’ governments and agendas still largely dominate foreign policy, with regard to foreign policy advocacy and human rights.

Economic inequality: the master of differences in the old continent:

The major classic differences between European Union members are criticism of strong economies of exploitation and growth at the expense of the economically poorer countries, and for their part, rich countries accuse other members of relying on them and forming a burden and an obstacle to the growth of the European economy, and at the forefront of the countries with the weakest economies in Europe comes Greece and then Spain And they are the ones who suffered the most during the economic crises that afflicted the old continent during the past two decades, as they were severely affected, which was reflected in large deficits in public budgets, and the inability to repay debts.

With the continued flow of disagreements on the agenda of the European Union from time to time, and with the rise of the nationalist right in the corridors of power and the European elite, demands are renewed from the peoples of countries such as Germany, France and Belgium to abandon the support of the poorest countries, in a framework that experts describe as a victory for the realistic regional approach at the expense of liberal values.

The demographic crisis, the scarcity of Europeans:

Year after year, the continuous average life expectancy and the aging of the social hierarchy in European countries is increasing, due to the low rates of reproduction, amid the reluctance of many to form families as a result of individual material values ​​that neglect the spiritual and human dimension. Therefore, sociologists believe that Europe is in the midst of a demographic crisis that threatens its existence, which results in Numerous demographic shifts, as this results in a need for an alternative young workforce, which forces European countries to open the gates of immigration from countries with young ages who are able to work and produce.

Refugee crisis:

The migration crisis has always caused a deep rift between the member states of the European Union, over the migration file, which continues to weigh heavily on the relations between the countries of the south and the north, and raises the alarm about a gas crisis at the door, as the increasing number of refugees threatens to raise the level of energy consumption, both on the one hand Personal use or public use, at a time when the European energy bill continues to rise steadily, and breaks new records every day, threatening to get inflation out of control and curb the economic recovery after the Corona pandemic, not to mention the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war and its impact on global energy markets, especially The old continent is almost completely dependent on Russia for natural gas and energy supplies.

The division over the immigration file is three-dimensional, as the migration crisis has formed disputes within the European Union, a group of blocs, each of which demands a specific policy that can be pursued regarding the refugee crisis. The North is based on what is called in European convention, i.e. secondary movements, i.e. the movement of arrivals from the countries of arrival to the countries of the interior, while Italy led the southern bloc, which refuses to bear alone the burden of the waves of migrants across the eastern Mediterranean, strongly objecting to the construction of a wall on the external borders.

Separatist tendencies:

The precedent of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union known as “Brexit” is considered that it may encourage other countries to follow the same path that the United Kingdom has taken. With national sovereignty over its lands and territorial waters and the independence of its political decision, until it officially left the union at the beginning of the year, and it should be noted that an opinion poll conducted in 2019 among citizens of the European Union member states revealed a broad trend stating that the union could dissolve or disintegrate within a period Ranging from 10 to 20 years.

A large part of the respondents had concerns about topics such as the economy, inequality, and security threats, as they see the possibility of conflicts between the member states of the Union, and that the biggest loss they will suffer is the inability to work together against global powers such as China, Russia and the United States. United.

The foregoing was an overview of the differences of the one house, i.e. the European Union, but in order for the picture to be complete and become clearer, we must present the most prominent European differences with the United States of America, which was considered (and perhaps still is) a leader of the European continent. The three levels are economic (it is the owner of economic development projects in Europe after World War II through the Marshall Plan), political and military (NATO).

European-American differences:

US-European relations have entered a new phase, following US President Joe Biden’s assumption of power after lean years in relations between the United States of America and its NATO allies during the rule of US President Donald Trump.

Four years ago, European leaders were shocked by US President Donald Trump, who encouraged Brexit, downplayed NATO, saying the alliance was outdated and describing member states as evading He pushed its commitments and initially refused to explicitly endorse the principle of mutual defense central to NATO.

In this context, Thomas Klein Brockhoff, vice president of the German Marshall Fund Center, says they fear that this will happen again, that America has changed, and that Biden is just a “break” between two more populist presidents, and adds that they know that Biden’s policies will be attached secretly. With bills to pay, they aren’t sure how different his commitment to a different foreign policy is from Trump’s America First.

The hopeful optimistic view is that Biden is launching a new relationship, showing faith in Brussels and NATO, saying the right words, and launching the major strategic process of reforming the alliance over the next decade, said Jana Puglierin, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. We should see tangible results.

Notable differences:

Withdrawal from Afghanistan:

Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by 9/11 was taken unilaterally, in the old fashioned way, with Washington deciding and then allies to follow. The move, after mounting internal criticism, without alerting allies, let alone consulting with them.

Sanctions on Russia:

The Russian-European economic relations have witnessed decades of complex and unstable relations, but they are intertwined and strong. Each party is an important trading partner for the other. The severity of Western economic sanctions against Russia is gradually increasing, the largest of which was the removal of a number of Russian financial institutions from the global “Swift” system of communication. Among financial institutions, European banking institutions are among the most affected; According to the European Central Bank, the volume of Russian debt that it owes to European banks is more than 60 billion dollars, which is equivalent to 4 times the European debt provided to American banks, in addition to Europe’s dependence on Russia in the energy sector, which makes sanctions on Russia and the Russian energy sector , is a point of contention between the American and European allies.

Hostility with Russia and China:

Unlike the Americans, Europeans do not view China as a peer competitor as Washington does, and are still more dependent on China and Russia for trade and energy than the United States. Some worry that Biden’s quest to define the world as a competition between democracy and authoritarianism is too much of a black-and-white view of the world.

The rise of Chinese hegemony threatens the role of the United States as a major player in the European axis:

China is trying to absorb the shock of trade wars and sanctions and keep rising by boosting internal demand in its huge market. For this purpose, it recently signed the largest free trade agreement in the world with the countries of East Asia and the Pacific, including Japan and South Korea. It is also continuing to strengthen its relations with Russia and dozens of other countries through its global project, the New Silk Road. As for the United States, which withdrew from several trade agreements. During President Trump’s rule, it is trying to restructure its economy, revive its industries, and preserve it through more protectionist measures. It is also working to sign new trade agreements that are more fair to it according to the classification of the previous US administration, such as those signed by Trump with Canada and Mexico as an alternative to the “NAFTA” agreement, and given that the United States enjoys a large market and high purchasing power, its preservation of a position at the forefront of global leadership is not in doubt. In it, what supports its superiority, especially since it is still superior in artificial intelligence and the Internet worlds through Google, Facebook, YouTube and its sisters.

Europe between two fires:

At a time when China is trying to outdo the US economy, the question remains, what about the European Union?

The countries of the Union, especially Germany, have so far been enjoying the benefits of globalization, which has brought its countries, especially Germany, more prosperity three decades ago.

This largely reflects burgeoning trade relations with the United States and China. However, the transformations that predict the end of this globalization and the division of spheres of influence between the United States and China make Europe choose between one of the two poles. The last scenario seems to be the least costly for Europe, according to the study, in which it was stated that its behavior means a 12 percent decline in European exports.

On the other hand, siding with a possible Chinese bloc would mean reducing these exports by about 18 percent. As for joining an American bloc at the expense of relations with China, it seems the most expensive, as it would mean a 22 percent drop in European exports.

In this context, Natalie Tucci, director of the Italian Institute of International Affairs, said: “Communication with allies is important and goes beyond symbolism, but the Europeans must take responsibility and work with Biden to reach agreements on key issues such as climate, vaccines and trade, which can create a Western critical bloc that expands into a broader global multilateral agreement.

Ibrahim Mohamed, writer and political analyst, believes that European efforts towards more independence appeared during the few years in European attempts led by France for more independence for the union, and this is evidenced by the efforts made to strengthen the role of the euro as a global currency alongside the US dollar and to establish a military power However, these efforts are still shy and slow, despite the increasing German support for them recently. The main problem here lies in the absence of a united European political will to push these efforts quickly, tangibly and substantially forward. But overcoming these obstacles is not impossible, especially since European economic interests will be more assured in light of the rise of a third pole between the Chinese and American poles. This is certainly the emergence of three poles that are better for the rest of the world, especially the Arab and developing countries, than the bipolar system.