BREXIT -- Britain's Exit from the European Union (EU)
So what does this all mean and why did it happen. While there will be dozens of pundit explanations in my opinion the vote for exit was the result of disillusionment. The idea of the EU was of sovereign nation states forming a mutually beneficial union to eliminate trade barriers and to collectively tackle political issues in a unified way. The result was a centralized political oligarchy and bureaucracy with little perceptible accountability to the citizens of Europe. The EU was an opportunity to unite Europe to the benefit of its citizens. The actuality was the centralization of power to the benefit of the bureaucrats and ruling elites. In their pursuit of wealth and power they screwed up the vision into their own and now they will have to deal with the consequences including the exit of the UK and the likely exit of other smaller European nations.
There is also a subtext to BREXIT and the possible exit of other nations. The EU is dominated by Germany and to a lesser extent by France. It is their vision for the EU that get implemented. By some peoples these are the nations are recognized as those who condemned Europe to spill a great deal of blood during the first half of the twentieth century and their ascendancy to power over Europe is not welcomed nor are they trusted not to repeat their past behaviors.
Americans who visit Europe as tourists are generally oblivious of the underlying tensions and hatreds that pertain there. Since there seems to be little black/white racism, Americans in general assume there is none. This is not the case and misses the ancient hatreds between peoples and also misses the significant tensions between religions. In American we are mistaken to view Europe as more civilized and cultured. After all, it's not that long ago that the most civilized and cultured of peoples within a few years were incinerating people by the millions without much guilt about it. Civilization and culture are a thin patina maintained in place by political honesty and individual freedom. We would be foolish to believe that we here are too civilized and cultured today to lose that civilization tomorrow. We must remain ever vigilant to keep our politicians honest. As a citizen it is our singular most important duty.
