Blog Post 6 for March 30 Class

I did not expect to like London very much. I had heard too many reports of dreary and rainy gray days to make me incredibly excited about visiting. So, it was quite a surprise when, after less than 24 hours in the city, I had already fallen head over heels in love. The buildings were beautiful and stately, the accents charming, the food delicious, and it almost felt like I was back home in the States, a welcome feeling after several months in the French culture that is so different from my own.

Emma Krais was most definitely one of the reasons I enjoyed London so much; her seemingly limitless knowledge astounded me and her detailed accounts made the city’s history come alive. I found the information about the City of London particularly intriguing, as I had no previous idea that such a thing even existed. Looking at the difference between this “Square Mile” and the current boundaries of London show just how much the city has grown and expanded over the years. And the Great Fire of 1666! I was unaware of the extent of the devastation, and the city’s total ruination makes its recovery from the ashes even more impressive.

I know there is much discussion about how Great Britain has fallen to a second-rate world power since the destruction of World War II. The sun now sets quite easily on the British Empire and thousands of vessels no longer clog the once all-important Thames. And yet, I never once felt defeat in London. I did not see citizens resting in the background, content to let the United States and Russia and the Continent run the world. Instead, it appeared to me as a city where things get done. We passed countless businessmen and women in their suits on the way to work, adding to the spirit of success and hard work and achievement that I felt permeated London. Nowhere was this more evident than at Canary Wharf. Likewise, nowhere is this lifestyle more in danger than at Canary Wharf.

Dr. Lasser mentioned the financial passport several times and I made a mental note of it but never marked it down as anything terribly important. However, after visiting London and seeing firsthand the massive impact the banking and financial sectors have on the city’s—and therefore the country’s—economy, I cannot help but think of the loss of it as a potentially devastating consequence of Brexit. I was doing some research for another class recently and came across an article from Le Monde, a large French news agency, explaining that Lloyd’s (the British insurance company that is housed in that weird, modern, gray building Emma loved so much) was opening a subsidiary in Brussels in anticipation of unfavorable Brexit negotiations toward the British financial industry. The same article included a brief note that J.P. Morgan just sent 75 experts to Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Dublin to evaluate alternative sites for the potential relocation of its London branch. If Great Britain fails to find a viable solution to this problem, countless banks and other financial agencies would probably leave, resulting in thousands of employees either losing their jobs or being forced to move with their company. The majority of these employees probably have families they will take with them, too, causing even further-reaching consequences.

On another note, I was struck by how much appreciation the British appear to have for the United States. The American Memorial Chapel in St. Paul’s Cathedral was quite impressive, especially due to the fact that the British refused to accept any American money for its construction, choosing instead to appeal to the British people for funds. I also noticed several statues of famous Americans such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin Delano Roosevelt throughout many of the parks and squares we wandered around. In contrast, I did not notice an abundance of memorials to Europeans from the Continent. Maybe I just missed them and maybe there is no significance whatsoever in my amateur observations, but personally, I feel like that previously coined “Special Relationship” still exists between the United States and Great Britain, even to the point where Great Britain would choose the States over Europe, further solidifying the idea that Britain has never been—to quote Coach Swinney—“all in” towards the idea of a fully integrated Europe.

Walking around the city, I rarely ever thought about Brexit and the looming date of March 29th when Prime Minister May would formally invoke Article 50. All seemed to continue as usual, and the terrorist attack on the bridge near Westminster seemed to be a much more prominent point of discussion. I was forced to think about Brexit on Saturday, however; after we split up for free time in the afternoon, Kaleigh, Rachel, and I ran straight into a very large protest march in Trafalgar Square. Most people were dressed in the colors of the European Union and many carried signs expressing their disgust with and concerns over the upcoming official trigger of Brexit. Obviously, it provided a great topic of conversation for the three of us and we discussed many of the various protests we have seen during our time in Europe or heard about back home. One of us raised the question, “I wonder how many of the protestors actually voted?” and, according to a BBC map, voter turnout for the Brexit referendum was relatively low in the greater London metropolitan area compared with most other parts of the country. The Leave campaign’s total margin of victory was a mere 1.3 million votes; in a country of over 46 million, the results could have proven vastly different if a few more people had gotten out and cast their ballot.

Overall, I tremendously enjoyed London and I believe I have a deeper understanding of the political climate there after having visited. The next few years will undoubtedly prove both interesting and difficult, but I wish all the best to this beautiful country.

History of London In Relation to Brexit

            Last week, I was able to participate in two guided tours within London: a tour of the old city and a tour of the dock lands.  I found the tour of the old city very relatable to English culture and can connect it to some of the sentiments that are felt today.  In the tour, we began with the history of London as a Roman trading center.  Following the Anglo-Saxon introduction, a wall was constructed around the city.  I believe that this wall was integral in forming cultural attitudes of Londoners throughout the millennia and then transferred into English attitudes.  The wall was a symbol of strength and confidence.  It isolated Londoners from the outside world, as they had become a sufficient power of their own.  This can be testified through William the Conqueror’s decision to remain outside the city.  The city was so revered and respected that the Norman did not enter it. 

            I assert that this attitude transferred into English culture today.  The English have always seen themselves as a nation apart.  They are separate from the Europe and the world, and are free to do as they choose.  The institution of the British Empire around the globe is enough to testify to that.   When the British people voted in referendum to leave the European Union, it is not as surprising as one may think when looking back on history.  There is quite possibly a lust deep inside of British citizens to become that dominant world power again.  These antiquated beliefs are found in the history of England and London as being an isolated and successful world apart from the rest of Europe.  London, many centuries ago, gained the necessary confidence to establish an important and powerful trading city separated from Europe by the English Channel.  They did not need a union with Europe then, so many are questioning why they need one now.

            Undeniably, the dock lands also played a powerful role in the attitudes of British foreign affairs.  The introduction and streamlining of the London docks helped ease the strain of trading on the River Thames.  The river was crowded, people were losing money to theft, and the process was inefficient.  It is safe to say that the institution of docks aided London to explode into the metropolis it is today.  In addition, the docks aided in the colonial expansion of Britain, fueling the fire that became the British Empire.   The powerful economic stability that London, and in turn, England, created through the docks reverberated throughout the nation.  Although the docks are of little use now, the feelings of financial security and colonial successes against their European contemporaries that was created through the docks are still present in the minds of many English today.

            On the last full day of the trip, we walked around Westminster.   I was surprised at all the activity.  Given the terrorist attack on the Wednesday prior, I pictured an area coated in somber emotions and grief.  It was quite the opposite.  People were bustling around as if nothing had happened at all, but I guess this is the appropriate response.  Terrorism is, in its very name, committed to induce terror.  The reaction was a testament to the resilience of Londoners, I assume.  There was one fence against the parliament building coated in flowers, with a few mourners.  I saw a woman in tears.  This situation, however, was dwarfed by the large procession that was occurring in front of Westminster Abbey. 

            In the middle of Westminster, ten thousand people gathered to protest Brexit.  Every type of citizen was there.  There were women and men, elderly couples, elderly partners, young children, infants, and Europeans from every background.  Each was sporting their own EU regalia of some kind.  Many had the unmistakable blue flag with the ring of stars draped over their backs.   Some were painted head to toe in blue face paint.  Many held posters and signs agonizing over Britain’s exit from the union.  One thing was for sure: people were hyped up and affected by Brexit.  I remember clearly one speaker was on the stage.  He ended his speech with these words: “I am Pakistani.  I am Muslim.  I am British.  And I am European!”  The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause.

            I believe this statement is very important in the Brexit argument.  His statements reflected the thoughts of those ten thousands citizens in the square.  He represented their thoughts and there were many of like background in the crowd.  The problem arises with the British citizens who do not want these individuals in their nation.  We have learned that Brexit has largely been fueled by immigration.  Its supporters believe the Europeans (namely Eastern Europeans) are flooding into the United Kingdom and diluting the job market and using their resources.  These individuals are just looking to improve their lives, and many could argue that the influx of working individuals in the United Kingdom helps drive the economy.  However, now that Brexit has officially commenced and Prime Minister Theresa May has triggered Article 50, we will see in the coming years how the economy changes.  It does not come into full effect for the next few years, so now is a critical time to see how the official change alters attitudes of United Kingdom citizens.

            The trip to London last week was very important to me in my understanding of European politics, British history, and the future of the European Union.  I was able to learn and get a hands-on experience on the historical basis of how London became a financial power.  I believe London’s past financial success bolstered by its efficient docks, as well as the engrained history of the city center, have transcended history and engrained themselves in British culture and thinking.  Britain has decided to leave the European Union after a decades-long relationship due to some yearning for the United Kingdom’s previous power.  Now that the United Kingdom is back on its own, it will be interesting to see if it can reclaim that perceived success as well as how the European Union will survive without it.

Article 50

After reading several articles on the current news concerning Brexit, I saw that Theresa May has decided to invoke Article 50 earlier than anticipated. Article 50 outlines the process of what a state must do in order to leave the European Union. Once the article is activated, Britain will start their two year process of finalizing their departure from the EU. Many people think that May's haste in triggering the article stems from the increasing inflation, higher unemployment rates, and an increase in taxes that all have ensued since the vote to leave occurred. Some also are skeptical of the rush to begin taking action because of the already hot political climate in Europe. It is believed that she should have pushed back until the fall months when the elections in France, Germany, and Holland are over with. 

After becoming more familiar with the process a state must take in order to leave the EU, I agree that she probably should have waited to begin the process after the elections in those three countries. This would give her an idea of what political climates she will be negotiating with when the time comes to make trade deals with the other European countries. 

Interestingly, according to a poll taken after May triggered the article, almost 50% of Britons do not currently believe that Britain will complete the process of exiting the European Union by the two year deadline. Although the article did not outline the reasons behind some of the voters opinion, I believe that many Britons feel that there is too much to negotiate in that time and the early jump on the article will make those negotiations even more difficult to determine. I am excited to spend a couple days in London and to talk with the locals in order to get an idea of their opinions on their state's current situation in the matter. 

Angela Merkel

Through the whirlwind that has been the Trump candidacy and now Presidency, we have heard Mr. Trump call out Angela Merkel several times.  In her recent White House visit, we have heard Mr. Trump retort Germany's contributions to NATO, alleging that the United States protects Germany with their defense force.   He went on to criticize the nation and demand additional payment for the United States' commitment to NATO.

With all eyes on the United Kingdom following Brexit, many have forgotten that Germany is a key player in the European Union as well as NATO.  It will be interesting to see how post-Brexit U.K. will align itself in the issues that Trump has brought forth with the United States' NATO membership.  As the U.K. strives to be its own independent nation (with probably some age-old fantasies of the former empire), will its leadership begin to critique NATO as well?  How will it react to a EU dominated by Germany and France?

The following photograph has been circulating the internet recently, with Trump and Merkel seated together, Trump supposedly refusing a requested hand shake.  It is hard to say 100% if he did deny the request (Spicer claims he did not hear).  Nevertheless, it is an intriguing graphic that could foreshadow US-EU-UK relations to come.

Blog 5 for March 13 Class

               When Brexit first hit the news last year, I did not fully understand the implications of such a decision. So the UK wanted to leave the EU—they weren’t on the Euro anyways, so what was the big deal? Like those who voted to leave, after Brexit happened I had to google more information about the EU, its members, and its purpose. Having never been to Europe or studied the European Union, I had no knowledge of how difficult such a split could be and how many reaching effects it could have worldwide.  

               We talked in class and read in articles briefly the implications of Brexit on trade markets and banking. I have never studied economics, so I definitely didn’t realize Brexit could potentially shake the world banking system. I’ve been reading a few other articles, too, and in the medicine and science communities, there are worries over healthcare, clinical trial rights, and drug imports/exports. In terms of healthcare, a large percentage of the UK’s healthcare workers come from other nations within the EU, especially those working in social care. There is worry that because of the border changes, doctors and nurses from outside the UK will leave and many will stop wanting to come to the UK because of the difficulty, leaving the UK with a shortage. Pharmaceutical companies are concerned that should the UK completely disentangle itself from Europe, the ability to hold clinical trials in other EU countries with a single agreement will be lost. If that happens, UK companies will have to work to receive permission from each country individually, making the process more costly in both time and money.

               With negotiations beginning in the near future, it will be interesting to see how Brexit plays out. How much of a separation will the UK actually get from its neighbors? 

Blog Post 5 for March 13 Class

While I was reading the article entitled "Brexit in 7 Charts," I was surprised by how clearly and obviously the data shows that the EU has helped Britain thrive. For example, the data shows that the UK had the slowest growth in prosperity in the G7 before joining the EU but the fastest growth after joining, that there is no correlation between the number of EU immigrants and changes in wages in the UK, and that the majority of economists project a long term decrease in the UK’s GDP after leaving the EU, with the exception of economists for Brexit, whose projections are outliers compared to those of the others.  Although there may be other explanations for the depicted trends – such as Margaret Thatcher’s reforms contributing to Britain’s improved economy – the data still disproves many of the counter-arguments that the people who were in favor of leaving might have had, such as the arguments that EU membership was preventing UK prosperity and that the influx of EU immigrants was decreasing wages in Great Britain. It shocks me that the majority of people can be so swayed by strong feelings of fear and xenophobia that they completely ignore the facts in front of them and vote based off of their emotions instead of logic. Given that any savings that the UK might have due to leaving the EU are likely to be canceled out by lower tax revenues and higher benefit spending and that the UK was experiencing more migration of Non-EU citizens than of EU citizens, it appears that there are no foreseeable benefits from Brexit. The more I learn about the potential effects of Brexit, the more I feel concerned for the future of Great Britain. In Spain, I have yet to meet a person that is against the EU, which is likely due to the fact that Spain gets a lot of economic help from the EU because of its poor economy. It will be interesting to compare those attitudes with the ones that we will experience in London next week.

Blog Post 5 for March 13 Class

I particularly enjoyed the article we read for this week’s class entitled “Brexit in 7 Charts — The Economic Impact.” I am most definitely a numbers person and a visual learner, so the charts proved quite helpful to me. When looking at all these graphs back-to-back, it seems crazy for people to have voted to leave the European Union. The British economy appeared to have prospered during its EU membership and researchers found no indication that the presence of immigrants reduced wages, one of the hot-button issues driving the Leave campaign. Now, post-Brexit vote, the time-consuming negotiation processes and the guaranteed uncertainty of the next few years loom heavy on the horizon. On paper, the decision to leave does not make much sense.

But, life is not lived on paper. I have never lived in or even visited Great Britain, so I have absolutely zero firsthand knowledge of the true situation there; however, I do not believe it is far off from the situation in my own country, providing me with the opportunity to make a relatively easy comparison. Americans voted for Donald Trump because it was a direct rebuff of the status quo. He promised to “Make America Great Again,” to defend our borders, to help the working class citizens, and to revive nationalism and the American Dream. That does not sound too different from the Leave campaign’s promises. I believe that if the British people had sat down and objectively researched the pros and cons of leaving the European Union, they would have decided to stay. Their frustration with their current situation got the better of them, though; they went to the polls with the belief that anything is better than where they were at right then.

In the longterm, I truly feel their economy will sort itself out and Great Britain will do quite well, but the next few years will undoubtedly be messy. Is it worth it? Only time will tell.

Brexit's potential impacts on young adults

Before coming to Europe, I did not understand how being a member country of the EU made many things much easier for those countries citizens. Any EU citizen can work or travel easily to another EU country without problem. I often heard that Brexit could be very detrimental to the young adults in Britain, but I did not fully understand this.

After Britain leaves the European Union, graduating students will have their job opportunities in Europe drastically cut down, as they will now have to obtain a visa in order to work outside of the country. This creates barriers that previously were never a problem.

Another problem that will arise, one which I can relate to even more, is that university students will not be able to study in another EU country as easily. Britain is known for having the highest university rates out of all the EU and many students choose to study in another country in order to save money. Once Brexit is final, those student will be subjected to international student rates which will raise the cost of school, and they will also have to obtain a visa.

For young adults, Brexit will make it much harder for them to study and work where they please. Their ability to move to countries like France, which is less than 50 kilometers away, is now remarkably restricted. To put this in perspective, I try to view this problem as if one of the US countries decided to leave America. This would be like Maine no longer being a part of the US. Anyone living in Maine would have to obtain a visa just to travel, work, or study in another state, and the same would go for anyone trying to work or study in Maine.

Marine Le Pen

As we near closer to May, there has been a steady increase in buzz concerning the French election.  After reading this article, I was able to gain some more insights into Ms. Le Pen's rise.  Le Pen has somewhat changed her father's strong viewpoints for the FN, allowing her to gain increasing support.  Her father was known to be very radical and even anti-Semitic, but by dialing these sentiments down, Le Pen has been able to gain further reach.

The article notes that most of her support comes from uneducated, working individuals.  This draws some interesting parallels to the voters of "Leave" on Brexit.  Last class, we noted that these voters were in a separate class.  They tended to be uneducated, older, and working class.  They view themselves as a separate political support group, neither left, right, or center, only strongly for the FN.  It is no surprise that these voters have found confidence in their rice from the rise of Donald Trump, who has proposes similar ideology to Le Pen.

One difference between Brexit supporters and Le Pen supporters that I have noticed, however, is the age group.  In class, we noted that Brexit supporters tended to be older.  Surprisingly, one of Le Pen's biggest supporting groups are young people.  This comes at a slight surprise to me as I have discussed with many of my french class mates their opinions on Le Pen.  They are mostly turned off by her, think that she is "insane," or has ideology vastly different than their own.  The bias in this observation is the fact that I am surrounded by college educated, or semi-college educated, individuals.  Le Pen's base is found within mostly uneducated individuals.

As we draw closer to the election, it will be interesting to watch Le Pen's progress and her support group and continue to draw parallels between Brexit and Trump.  Who knows, if Le Pen is elected and France opts to leave the EU, we might forecast the end of the confederation.

Blog 4 for March 9 Class

Thursday morning, I saw for the first time posters under one of the many bridges near one of the main bus stations in Lyon. What caught my attention was not the reprinted European Union flag, but the red slash through it and the largely printed “FREXIT” that covered the page. I was amused that France would try to create their own play on English words, but more amused that I would find these posters the week we start to talk about Brexit. I’ve seen these posters in several other locations since, so I asked my host-family about it. I don’t think my host-mom had ever heard of “Frexit,” and while she acknowledged that such extreme views are becoming more popular, she didn’t see it becoming a reality here like in the UK.

I think a large part of her security comes from the fact that France has never questioned its European status. The idea that Great Britain was/is uncertain on its belonging to Europe is fascinating to me. From an outside perspective, the island has always been a part of Europe geographically. I’ve never been unsure of where to place it (like I am with, say, Greenland). But maybe England has seemed separate politically—though I don’t know if that’s because it has always been a powerful nation or because it’s never completely joined the EU—because I can remember that it has always been separated from Europe in my history classes when we discuss major wars and movements. Whatever the reason, I can see how the isolation could create a sense of separation that makes its citizens question why it should participate in the EU.

The most profound idea to me from the reading this week, though, was the idea that Great Britain simply joined the EU too late. It’s evident that the reluctance to join only grew to create the desire to leave, but like discussed by Matthijs, I wonder if had the UK joined as the EU was forming, and had they therefore been given more say in how the EU was set up, would the anti-European feelings still exist in the numbers they are today? Would having more power within the EU, like France or Germany, have allowed the UK to avoid its biggest battles with the EU or prevent such harsh reports on decisions made in Brussels that stir public unrest? I’m interested to see what happens as Brexit moves forward. 

Blog Post 4 for March 9 Class

     I was surprised to read that 62% of Scotland voted to remain in the European Union. I believe that that statistic will increase the desire for independence that many people in Scotland already feel. Many citizens believe that they politically have no say in their future. Westminster has made the decision for the people of Scotland and Northern Ireland to leave the EU, without the governments of each respective country being able to do anything about it. When I was in Scotland, a girl that we met told us that not only do her and her friends feel like their future is uncertain, but they also feel like they have no say in it. This reminds me of the "no taxation without representation" sentiments that Americans felt prior to the Declaration of Independence. I think Brexit will be the breaking point for the Scottish people, and that if the campaign for Scottish independence is successful, it will be an ironic backfire on Westminster. I found the economic effects of Brexit discussed in that article interesting because the economy of Great Britain is better than I expected. Although inflation has been increasing, unemployment and annual house price increases have both fallen since the decision to leave. 

     In class, we discussed how the geography of Britain has affected its development. Its geographic isolation has led to a sense of cultural isolation. As Matthijs states, Britain's relationship with Europe is "more like a loveless arranged marriage." As an American, I have never questioned whether Great Britain is located in Europe or not, so I was surprised to learn that that is an area of ambiguity for the British. Even as a full member of the EU, Britain still has separations from the rest, such as using the Pound instead of the Euro. Both the issue of Britain now and of when they joined the European Economic Community, which later became the EU, was the country's economic trouble. However, now, Europe is seen as the source of the issues, whereas in the past it was seen as the cure.

Blog Post 4 for March 9 Class

One particular statement that stuck with me from this week’s readings was from Stephen Wall’s book: “Britain’s biggest mistake was to join [the European Union] late.” Over the past two months that I have lived in Europe, I have learned more than I ever thought possible about Great Britain and its relationship with the EU, and I find that this sentence makes perfect sense. The British were never truly sold on the idea in the first place, leading them to stay out of the EU’s original predecessor—the European Coal and Steel Community—and not even attempting to enter the European Economic Community until 1961. The British people have wavered in their commitment to Europe ever since, constantly struggling between their strong national pride and memories of the powerful British Empire on one hand and their reduced position and forced reliance on more powerful allies on the other.

The most direct contact I have ever had with a Brit is currently taking place this semester; my one English class in Lyon is a USAC elective entitled “Politics and Economics in the European Union,” and the professor is an Englishman from Liverpool in his late fifties or early sixties. Having lived in France longer than England, he naturally was a strong supporter on the “Remain” side of the Brexit vote, as I imagine most British expatriates were. He likes to remind our class on a regular basis that “Brexit was the most stupid decision Great Britain could ever have made,” making his feelings on the matter abundantly clear. I believe he has a distinct advantage over many other Brits, however; semi-retired now, he spent the majority of his career working as a consul for the British government, placing him in a prime position to truly understand all the benefits the EU brought to Britain’s doorstep and to see firsthand the need for European institutions to have some amount of supranational power. I am inclined to agree with Stephen Wall when he claims that, “Had a consistent and persistent campaign of information been undertaken, it is possible that public opinion, knowing the reasons for the existence and powers of the European institutions, might have been more ready to recognise their role in defending important freedoms as well as to accept their inevitable imperfections.” With a better education on the role of the EU, Britain might well have overwhelmingly voted to Remain. Or, maybe the hot-button issue of immigration would still have been enough to give victory to the Leave campaign. Either way, what’s done is done and the events of the next few years will prove quite interesting.

French Presidential Candidate François Fillon

As voting days are coming closer, I have begun to more pay attention to the presidential candidates, their stances, and the public's feelings towards the impending election. Recently, one of the candidates, François Fillon, came under intense scrutiny after an old interview with his wife resurfaced. The interview lead to investigation into whether or not Fillon's wife was paid illegally for the work she did for her husband several years ago. The investigation has spread to see if Fillon's two children were also paid illegally for the same reason.

To my surprise, it is legal for politicians to hire their family members to work for them as long as they are specifically doing what they were hired for. The family is under investigation because his wife alone was paid nearly 830,000 euros (over $878,000) when she was hired while Fillon was a senator. She was hired legally, but people are beginning to believe Fillon took advantage of the situation and overpaid his family with public money. Voters are now viewing this candidate in a negative light because he appears to have supplied his family with high paying jobs more for their own benefit than for the quality of their work. 

This could be a pivotal point in the election as Fillon has been estimated to be the best opposing candidate to the popular far-right leader, Marine Le Pen. Although the scenario's are different, this situation that is unfolding reminds me of Hillary Clinton being probed for her use of her private email while she held office. After she became under investigation, some of her followers felt that they could trust the other candidate more, which may be one reason she lost the election.

I am interested to see how the French people take this information as they search for a candidate to vote for in April and May. It may be that this could ruin Fillon's chances of winning and I am intrigued to see how the situation unfolds. 

European Economic Evironment

In our last class, we discussed the the global financial crisis and its effect on Europe.  Since the class, I have been considering what we talked about.  We noted that the Americans had a very offensive approach to dealing with the crisis.  Europe, however, took a more defensive stance.  I was a little cloudy on some of the policies they enacted to cope with the problems, but I believe that it is apparent that the American economy, as a whole, was able to return closer to normalcy than the European Union.

Culturally, there is a dividing line between Northern and Souther Europe.  Unsurprisingly, this dividing line became more apparent during the financial crisis.  Southern nations struggled while Northern countries, although not flourishing, fared better than their Southern counterparts.  As European sentiment grows more nationalistic, it will be interesting to witness how this divide will transfer into the European Union.

Britain leaving the European Union could be a catalyst in this.  The United Kingdom is a huge player in the economy of the European Union.  By leaving the organization, other countries in the European Union may find it difficult to compete with the UK while being tied to the European Union.  For instance, Germany and France might feel hindered by the economies of Greece, Italy, or Spain.  In order to reach their full economic potential, politicians might propose to leave the Union.  Regardless of the outcome, there is no doubt that the financial crisis will highlight the differences between Northern and Southern Europe.

So far, I have travelled to Spain and Italy, both with similar cultures, and, from what I could see, a similar economic situation.  I have been to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in Northern Europe, which collectively seem to be doing better than their Southern union-members.

Entry 2/3 for Feb 23/Mar 2

The week of Feb 23, I had the opportunity to travel to Munich and Berlin, Germany and Krakow, Poland. 

The famous Glockenspiel in Munich

At first glance, nothing about Germany or what I saw of the German economy stood out as different than France to me. The first thing we noted after getting to Germany was actually that no one buys tickets or validates passes for public transport, as compared to the pretty highly regulated system in Lyon, which is opposite of what I would expect.

Looking back, I did notice that a lot of places we went did not accept payment with card—credit or debit. I don’t know if this was just a regional thing or something more closely related to the idea of taking less risks (on credit), but it seemed more common in Germany than anywhere else I’ve been.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

We also talked with the owner of one of the restaurants where we had breakfast in Berlin. He was really open to explaining the difficulties he encountered trying to open and keep a business in Germany. Apparently, the process is very strictly regulated. He also asked us our opinions on Trump (the first person I’ve encountered to do so). He said he had American customers recently that were avid Trump supporters, though he seemed willing to wait until farther into Trump’s presidency to make his own opinion. We asked about the immigrant population in Berlin, in part because he had mentioned that his family was not German. To him, the issue was pretty cut and dry as a lot of people in Berlin were immigrants, but he did say that it was a pretty split opinion across the nation.

 We also met an American who had been living in Germany for a while at our hostel in Krakow. He had left Miami to work marketing in Germany, but had struggled to get a work visa. He told us that the applications are very specific and that the process was backlogged. He ended up working for a touring presentation on the developing world during the Second World War and had a ton of interesting information to share.

Birkenau, Auschwitz
Krakow, Poland

In comparison to Germany, Poland was so much less expensive. I think the equivalency of currency was roughly .23 Euros to a Polish Zloty. Despite this drastic comparison, though, I did not see more homeless people in Krakow than in Berlin or Munich, or any evidence of a hurting economy. I did encounter my first pick-pocket in Poland, though.

Additionally, since we started this class, I’ve been looking for mention of the EU in daily life. The only thing I’ve found so far is sight of the EU flag on governmental buildings. I found it interesting that even in the German History Museum in Berlin—a museum that covered the history of Germany from the early pre-Holy Roman Empire days to the early 2000s and talked in depth of reconstruction of the German identity after WWII—I found no mention of the formation of or German involvement with the EU. For Germany to be so fundamentally powerful in the EU, as the latest article we read suggested, it doesn’t seem to show a strong attachment to the organization.

Blog Post 3 for March 2 Class

     I spent last weekend in Scotland, and I thought that it was very interesting to hear about Brexit from people who are actually living in the affected countries instead of solely from the media. An Englishman around the age of 60 who was sitting beside me on the plane told me that he and many of his friends supported Brexit because they believed that Britain should not be spending so much money on the European Union when the country is having difficulties funding its own National Health Service. However, when I went on a walking tour in Glasgow, the tour guides were two students of the University of Glasgow. They believe that Brexit is a mistake that will have terrible consequences in the future. However instead of further elaborating on that, they quickly changed the subject.
      Last week in one my my classes at the University of Seville, we discussed the EU and Brexit. The professor said that France and Germany were supporters of the EU because they are very strong economically and therefore have a lot of control over the union. The assertion that Germany has a strong voice in the EU is supported by the article that we read for this week's class because the article states that Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, "holds the fate of Europe in her hands." Ironically, Merkel lacks passion for the EU. Although this seems like a negative attribute for her to have, as I read the article further I began to realize that her attitude has many positive effects because it aids her in making objective decisions based off of economics and facts instead of based off of appeals to emotions. Her objective is to prevent Germany from being dragged into the euro crisis, and following the Domino Theory, she has used €400 billion of Germany money to help the euro zone. I am interested to see what decisions she will make in the future and how they will affect the EU.

Blog Post 3 for March 2 Class

While I often tend to think of the European Union as a country in and of itself, I must constantly remind myself that it, in fact, is not. It is a supranational organization, with 28 different cultures and histories and mentalities. No wonder it is encountering so many difficulties.

In this past week’s class, we discussed how the European Central Bank is heavily based on the German philosophy of fighting inflation at all costs. Germany is very proud of their economic strength and financial prowess, as well they should be. They are currently the glue that holds the European Union together.

The problem, therefore, lies in their interactions with their less efficient European counterparts. I just recently traveled around Spain for a week and was totally caught off-guard by their lifestyle. Hardly nothing stirred before 9 am and then, following this slow and leisurely start, only a few hours of work were accomplished before a lengthy lunch and siesta break. I understand that this is a defining characteristic of the Spanish culture, and that is all well and good—until you impose the same fiscal requirements on and expect the same efficiencies from Spain that you would from Germany.

It is the same with Greece. They already started out behind since they effectively cheated to join the Eurozone, a deficit from which they never seemed to be able to rally. Beyond that, however, they simply cannot keep up with the German pace. Their economy, their people, and their centuries-old lifestyle is simply not cut out for the job.

With this in mind, I am not sure that the European Union is sustainable, at least not under its current structure. Both fiercely prideful of their respective lifestyles, neither the Greeks nor the Germans seem willing to yield. I believe this North-South divide will continue to plague the European Union well into the future.

Blog Post 2 for Feb 23 Class

Currently around 26%, France’s youth unemployment rate continues to rise. Consequently, many young people in France are looking for a way out.

I can certainly understand this sentiment; I know I would be incredibly discouraged and worried if I knew that one out of every four of my college classmates would not get a job upon graduation. Furthermore, the three graduates who do find jobs may not even find them in their respective fields. As the French say, quelle horreur!

Due to this down-heartening statistic, more and more French students are getting multiple degrees. At my school in Lyon, Université Lumière Lyon 2, tuition for each semester runs between 250 and 300 euros—which is nothing compared to American tuition. I have met several students here who are in their sixth or seventh year of university because it is cheap and they have few viable job prospects in the real world. Many of them are very interested in the United States and some hope to move there once they finish school because statistically, it should be easier for them to find a job. For them, starting over in a new country seems like a better idea than staying in France. What does that say about the dire situation in Europe?

The Euro is failing, unemployment rates and debt levels are soaring, the European Union is fragile, and confidence is nonexistent. French young people are disillusioned and it really seems like they are stuck in a rut—like there is no real hope that things will get better anytime soon.

Yeah, I would probably leave, too.

Longterm, this could have dramatic effects on the French economy. If many of its best and brightest leave for greener pastures, who will be left to lead France itself? I know there is no quick, easy, or simple solution to the French (and, for that matter, the European) economic crisis, but they need to quickly implement new policy if they hope to avoid more disastrous effects.