“David Cameron will go down as one of the most foolish prime ministers
in British history. By placating populist sentiment and agreeing to hold
a referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union
to manage tensions in his own Conservative Party, he has taken his
country out of relevant international politics, forced himself out of a
job, and perhaps permanently divided the Conservatives,” writes Anders Åslund, a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center.
Read more: EU’s Salvation a Priority.
“The British referendum has not turned out to be the final word. In both
the United Kingdom and the EU, leaders are now pausing to consider
their options. There is an unlikely, but possible, road toward
reconciliation. But that reconciliation could come at a high cost, by
encouraging other special deals and an erosion of the EU’s remaining
coherence. Now is not the time for drift. If the EU is to reconnect with
its citizens, it needs to be clear about its ambitions and vision. As
European Council President Donald Tusk remarked June 24, ‘What doesn’t
kill us makes us stronger,’” writes Fran Burwell, vice president, European Union and Special Initiatives, at the Atlantic Council.
Read more: In Post-Brexit Era, a New Vision for the EU is Necessary.
“In reality, the democratic deficit in the EU is not as much as it is often claimed. But in terms of perception, there is a very real sense that there is not adequate democracy in the EU. Correcting this perception and encouraging citizens to engage with the EU is one of the big challenges facing the Union in the future,” said Fran Burwell, vice president, European Union and Special Initiatives, at the Atlantic Council.
Read more: EU ‘Must be More Transparent.’
“It is clear that the European Union needs a huge transformation, and it especially needs a group of leaders that gives it a new direction,” said Andrea Montanino, director of the Global Business and Economics Program at the Atlantic Council.
Read more: EU Needs a ‘Huge Transformation.’
“Brussels needs to address specific problems like its fiscal and monetary policies, whether austerity makes the most sense in certain countries, and how the migration issues will be addressed. One way or the other, the EU has to gain the confidence of the populace,” said Richard L. Morningstar, founding director and chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and a former US ambassador to the European Union.
Read more: Post-Brexit, Germany ‘Has to be Very Careful.’
“The United Kingdom will emerge as the biggest loser from its voters’ decision to exit the European Union. The United States loses a useful ally in its dealings with the European bloc, but it has others. France and Russia benefit, while Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel will look increasingly vulnerable. Italy, Poland, and Spain have the opportunity to increase their influence within the EU, but are unlikely to seize it in the short term,” writes Ben Nimmo, information defense fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
Read more: Brexit: Losers and Winners.
“Europe and the United Kingdom are now in uncharted waters. The separation negotiations that lie ahead will be fraught. With French and German elections approaching, a concerted desire in Brussels to make the United Kingdom a cautionary example for other would-be exiters, and a significant amount of bad blood, a deal will not come easily,” said Ana Palacio, a former foreign minister of Spain.
Read more: Europe’s Soul-Searching Moment.
“The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union will provide a massive boost to the isolationist, anti-immigrant, and eurosceptic policies of Europe’s far-right political parties,” writes Alina Polyakova, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center.
Read more: Brexit a Boon for Europe’s Far-Right Populists.
“[T]he biggest loser is Cameron; and British politics can be ruthless with losers. When Cameron promised a referendum in 2012, it was to settle a dispute within his own Conservative Party. He gambled, and lost; he campaigned, and lost. He has little or no credibility and may, as this writer fears, go down in history as the man whose decisions not only led to Brexit but to the breakup of the UK itself,” writes John M. Roberts, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and Global Energy Center.
Read more: The Disunited Kingdom.
A vote by the British to leave the European Union should not be viewed as an isolated incident. It should, instead, set off alarm bells about the future of the European project.
Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to the United States, described the outcome of the so-called Brexit referendum on June 23 as an “earthquake.”
“We have a lot of work to do in the United Kingdom in terms of limiting the damage and restoring the confidence” in the United Kingdom as being a good place to invest, Westmacott said in an Atlantic Council briefing.
Read more: Brexit: An ‘Earthquake’ in London.
Read more: In Post-Brexit Era, a New Vision for the EU is Necessary.
“In reality, the democratic deficit in the EU is not as much as it is often claimed. But in terms of perception, there is a very real sense that there is not adequate democracy in the EU. Correcting this perception and encouraging citizens to engage with the EU is one of the big challenges facing the Union in the future,” said Fran Burwell, vice president, European Union and Special Initiatives, at the Atlantic Council.
Read more: EU ‘Must be More Transparent.’
“It is clear that the European Union needs a huge transformation, and it especially needs a group of leaders that gives it a new direction,” said Andrea Montanino, director of the Global Business and Economics Program at the Atlantic Council.
Read more: EU Needs a ‘Huge Transformation.’
“Brussels needs to address specific problems like its fiscal and monetary policies, whether austerity makes the most sense in certain countries, and how the migration issues will be addressed. One way or the other, the EU has to gain the confidence of the populace,” said Richard L. Morningstar, founding director and chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and a former US ambassador to the European Union.
Read more: Post-Brexit, Germany ‘Has to be Very Careful.’
“The United Kingdom will emerge as the biggest loser from its voters’ decision to exit the European Union. The United States loses a useful ally in its dealings with the European bloc, but it has others. France and Russia benefit, while Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel will look increasingly vulnerable. Italy, Poland, and Spain have the opportunity to increase their influence within the EU, but are unlikely to seize it in the short term,” writes Ben Nimmo, information defense fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
Read more: Brexit: Losers and Winners.
“Europe and the United Kingdom are now in uncharted waters. The separation negotiations that lie ahead will be fraught. With French and German elections approaching, a concerted desire in Brussels to make the United Kingdom a cautionary example for other would-be exiters, and a significant amount of bad blood, a deal will not come easily,” said Ana Palacio, a former foreign minister of Spain.
Read more: Europe’s Soul-Searching Moment.
“The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union will provide a massive boost to the isolationist, anti-immigrant, and eurosceptic policies of Europe’s far-right political parties,” writes Alina Polyakova, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center.
Read more: Brexit a Boon for Europe’s Far-Right Populists.
“[T]he biggest loser is Cameron; and British politics can be ruthless with losers. When Cameron promised a referendum in 2012, it was to settle a dispute within his own Conservative Party. He gambled, and lost; he campaigned, and lost. He has little or no credibility and may, as this writer fears, go down in history as the man whose decisions not only led to Brexit but to the breakup of the UK itself,” writes John M. Roberts, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and Global Energy Center.
Read more: The Disunited Kingdom.
A vote by the British to leave the European Union should not be viewed as an isolated incident. It should, instead, set off alarm bells about the future of the European project.
Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to the United States, described the outcome of the so-called Brexit referendum on June 23 as an “earthquake.”
“We have a lot of work to do in the United Kingdom in terms of limiting the damage and restoring the confidence” in the United Kingdom as being a good place to invest, Westmacott said in an Atlantic Council briefing.
Read more: Brexit: An ‘Earthquake’ in London.
