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РSOУБCРIEИTКYА

EUROPEANIZATION IN
TURBULENT TIMES

If these days the books on your desk include “The Clash of Civilizations” by Sam-
uel Hantington, “New World Order” by Henry Kissinger, and “Globalization and
its Discontents” by Joseph Stiglitz, it is impossible to stay indifferent and not
to open their pages in order to remind yourselves of some conclusions in these
books which from today’s perspective look like an almanac of the geopolitical and
economic events at global level. Of course, many other books and minds can be
added to this list, which provide their own perspectives about the events in the
global scene today, the reasons for this, and what to do next.

Fatmir Besimi Changes in the global scene are ment, as well as the numerous challeng-
ahead of us, thereby changes es that the European Union faced in the
The author is former in the European Unions as past decade such as: the economic crisis,
Vice-President of the well, this was sealed with the debt crisis (Greece, Spain, Italy) and
Government of the Republic Brexit which has awaken the the inefficiencies in the Eurozone, the
of Macedonia in charge of global awareness that something should security risks (the Ukrainian crisis and
European Affairs, and the be done. A sea of analyses, columns, and the relations with Russia), the migrant
opinions and views in the expert debates, filled the pages on the policy, the refugee crisis (mostly caused
article are those of the Internet, the newspapers, and the mag- by the war in Syria), and the terrorism.
author azines. Almost none of the important These caused strengthening of the Euro-
persons missed to write on this topic, in- skepticism within the member states of
cluding analysts, professors, Nobel prize the European Union, simultaneously the
winners, politicians, businessmen, inter- populism became more expressed by a
national institutions, editors, and jour- part of the national political options.
nalists.
Brexit was a drop in this full glass of
BREXIT AND AFTERWARDS dissatisfaction on one hand, however
Everyone who calculated that the ref- also the weak connection of the estab-
lishment with the citizens, on the other
erendum is a tactical action and position- hand. The United Kingdom is a country
ing of the United Kingdom in order to with significant economic power (with
negotiate for better positions within the GDP of 2,200 billion Euros in 2014, which
EU, fell short with their considerations is 15.8% of the total GDP of EU-28), and si-
having in mind the outcome of the refer- multaneously it is an important political
endum. Now we have a new actual condi- and diplomatic actor in the international
tion, and the possible scenarios about the scene, as well as a military force which is
relations between the European Union relevant at global level, particularly with
and the United Kingdom are already sub- the fact that it continues to be NATO’s
ject to analysis. The discussions do not member.
stop, indicating the reasons, the possible
implications, and the perspectives. Having this in mind, the implications
from Brexit can include several aspects.
Mostly the reasons include the dissatis- In the short run, they experienced the
faction of the citizens from the establish- lowest level since 1985, that is, on Friday

38 July-August 2016