European Unity Being Broken By Greek Debt Crisis and Third World Refugees

As Europe struggles to keep Greece from default and to hold its common currency together, violent protests against immigration have strengthened the forces of disunion unleashed by an impassioned debate over how to deal with a flood of migrants from conflict zones. Greece might become the first country to leave the EU. While Greece is small, poor and does not stand at the centre of the world’s financial system or possess clout as a trading, diplomatic and military power, a Greek exit could be calamitous for Greece and calamitous for the EU. A Greek departure would mark the first unravelling of the process of European solidarity and integration which began more than 60 years ago. In practical terms, the loss of Greece would not damage the EU or European ideal beyond repair. But symbolically, it would say that European integration, or even European cooperation, can be placed in reverse gear. Grexit could this spell the beginning of the end of the common currency and put in question the whole project of a unified Europe. Europe is divided. The immense social cost of the austerity policies demanded by the surplus-generating Germany from less competitive economies of the South has put in question the political and social objectives of an “ever closer union” proclaimed in the Treaty of Rome, a founding EU document. At the end of June 2015, the Brussels summit looked for ways to spread the load of receiving hundreds of thousands fleeing poverty and war in Africa and the Middle East, the frontier rows across the 28-nation bloc were a reminder that the stakes are high.

© 2014 Zapiro / www.zapiro.com (All rights reserved)

To order your free Zapiro cartoon image click on number above

You may place this image on your blogging site as long as
you link the cartoon back to http://www.zapiro.com/cartoon/2745205...
and mention © 2014 Zapiro / www.zapiro.com (All rights reserved) underneath the cartoon