Europe’s Fault Lines [S4, E11]

Altamar - Navigating the High Seas of Global Politics

Europe is in flux – on the one hand, the French and German elections are on the horizon, and their outcomes seem ever more uncertain, Eastern European EU governments are becoming increasingly undemocratic, and Britain is gone forever. On the other hand, vaccinations are finally getting traction; the EU is injecting robust funds to spur economic recovery, and Mario Draghi, Italy’s Prime Minister, is taking an increasingly active role on the continent. What is the outlook for post-Brexit continental Europe?

Recent summits such as the G-7 in Britain and the Geneva summit were great photo-ops, but they failed to address some big challenges: competition with China, and relations with Russia, for instance. We talk about a ‘united Europe,’ but when it comes to critical issues, how united are the Europeans, really?

Altamar hosts Peter Schechter and Muni Jensen are joined by Erik Jones, Director of European and Eurasian Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University, to discuss the impending changes in Europe this year with two major elections on the horizon. Altamar’s ‘Téa’s Take’ by Téa Ivanovic discusses the “lost generation” of Europe that has faced economic crises, educational disruption, and more.