Contrary to the maxim popularised by political scientists that there is no political community without a political identity, what Europe most needs is a political community without identity. A reply to Etienne Balibar.
The rise of the far-right parties and more generally of the anti-European or euro-sceptic ones, such as the British UKIP, is a clear sign that moderate solutions to the current crisis are not enough any more. A reply to Etienne Balibar.
A vicious circle must be broken, but this can arise only from inside the European perspective, through a mounting pressure of the Union’s citizens, who must at the same time avoid “sovereign” fallacies and "cosmopolitan" illusions.
The abolition of freedom of movement within the EU, widely regarded as one of the central achievements of the European project, is not only a real possibility, but already an emerging reality. But so is the fightback. A contribution to the discussion between Etienne Balibar, Bo Stråth and Sandro M
For its citizens, Europe has become a cold and alienating power, instead of the welcoming space it was meant to be. Where did that political and intellectual left which in the last two decades has been decisively Europeanist go wrong?
It is time that we realised where the real danger in Europe lies, and that there is a candidate to help us fight back against this gathering danger. But to do this we must begin to recognise how both are misrepresented for our consumption. A reply to Etienne Balibar.
With so many conflicting interpretations of what post-crisis Europe should look like, it is easy to forget that another Europe will only come by reconciling the people across the continent, through initiatives and institutions that sew up a broken social fabric.
Europe can make sense only insofar as it becomes a space which makes it easier to get rid of the fear that the crisis is disseminating within the social fabric, a space where it is more viable to struggle against poverty, exploitation, and discrimination.
My dear Etienne Balibar, in a recent article you explain how a new Europe can only come from the bottom up. But how would this shift from top-down to bottom-up work, and what does it even mean?
Simply put, 'another Europe' must be able to suggest alternatives that make sense to the majority of the citizens across the continent.
