On Thursday June 23, 2016 the United
Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As you may recall I wrote a post regarding the possibility of a Grexit. I never considered for a moment that it would end up being a Brexit. I have been
listening to various people, reading, and watching coverage
of this event. What many are calling an historic event, which in my
humble opinion I agree with. So many people who are analyzing what
went wrong and what will be. While I wanted to post on this,
because it is extremely important, affecting so many areas of the
world, I know that I will probably not be able to add much to the
analysis that has already occurred. So I will just add my thoughts.
As an American I can certainly
understand people's desire to control their own destiny rather than
leave that to others. But as a concerned citizen of the world I have
to wonder if people have forgotten how easily it is to fall into
violent conflict, even in supposedly modern states such as the
countries of Europe. WWI and WWII are not that long ago. Lest
people forget, that was part of the reason that the European Union
was created, to bind people together in an effort to avoid those
types of conflicts in the future. It was also formed as a trading
block to, hopefully, bring prosperity to those who were its members.
From my view from across the pond it would appear that to this date
it has actually performed those two functions quite well. And
perhaps that is part of the problem now, because it has been so
successful it is a desirable destination for many who are in
desperate need of a safe haven. The strain on the various countries
of Europe to absorb mass migrations of people is putting huge stress
on a system that was put in place so long ago. We in America have
also had to deal with illegal immigrants, but not to the ratio of
newcomers to natives that we are seeing in Europe at this time.
The world is facing so many challenges
today, wars in the Middle East, economic uncertainty in many
countries, a climate that may not be so desirable in the future, a
general disgust with our political leaders, to the point that we
would just like to replace all of them. But isolationism, the
attraction of an authoritarian type of leader, are all things we
have tried in the past. They didn't work then, and they won't work
now. The Brexit, the attraction of a man like Donald Trump in the
US, or a Putin in Russia, seem to me to be all signs of fear of a
change that we probably can't avoid. Perhaps it is better to face
our fear rather than run from it. Start looking beyond the sound
bites that are being thrown at us and start trying to find out what
the facts really are. Because in the long run it is ourselves, and
our ability to judge what is or is not, that we need to rely on, not
a talking head on television.
What will happen with the Brexit? No
one knows for sure. I hope that it turns out well for our friends in the UK.
I wish them and the rest of Europe the best. They are all important
friends and allies of my country. I also hope that my fellow
countrymen and women choose wisely in November, because some votes
have long lasting consequences.
Update:
I have a couple of things to add to this post that you, my readers, may find of interest. I have received an objection to my suggestion regarding the ratio of immigrants to natives in Europe compared to the ratio in the US. My reader suggested that I was not correct and provided the following links as substantiation.
US immigrant population over time
Numbers for Europe
I do note, though, that in table number 1 in that second link there are five countries that appear to surpass the US, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Spain. The numbers for the European countries do include immigrants from other European countries.
I was also sent a link to a very informative talk about the consequences of a Brexit.
I have a couple of things to add to this post that you, my readers, may find of interest. I have received an objection to my suggestion regarding the ratio of immigrants to natives in Europe compared to the ratio in the US. My reader suggested that I was not correct and provided the following links as substantiation.
US immigrant population over time
Numbers for Europe
I do note, though, that in table number 1 in that second link there are five countries that appear to surpass the US, Austria, Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Spain. The numbers for the European countries do include immigrants from other European countries.
I was also sent a link to a very informative talk about the consequences of a Brexit.
