Problems of Eurozone, European Integration Stem From Deeply Unpopular Elite Economic, Social Policy

Wednesday, 29 January 2014 09:07
By Mark Weisbrot, Truthout | Op-Ed

The February 2014 issue of Harper's Magazine has an interesting discussion of Europe and the eurozone, "How Germany Reconquered Europe: the Euro and its Discontents." Some of the big questions of European unity, democracy and national sovereignty are debated in broad and direct terms not often seen in other analyses:

"The basic lesson of the past ten, twenty years - even of the past hundred years - is that the upper limit, not only of democracy but of political legitimacy, is the nation-state." (John N. Gray, London School of Economics.)

Then there is the Franco-German relationship, which is central to the eurozone:

"I'm really sorry, but the idea that there is such a thing as Franco-German friendship is just nonsense. In France we're very glad we have no big problems with Germany and the wars are over. But the idea of a special cultural or sociological link between German and France is nonsense. … Among the French bourgeoisie, the elite, there is a sort of reverence for Germany, because Germany is obviously more efficient and because the German people are obviously easier to govern than the French people, so there's this kind of friendship among the upper classes. …