An American Looks at Europe, March 2017

This speculative essay considers, from an American perspective, the state of Europe in late March 2017. With the United States seeming to distance itself from Europe both militarily and economically in the wake of the election of Donald Trump, the EU finds itself facing new challenges. Will member states seek closer cooperation on border and security matters owing to their inability to make further progress toward economic integration? Will populist opposition to the EU intensify the crisis provoked by the British vote to leave? What implications do impending elections in France and Germany hold for the future of “ever closer union?”