Topic: The EU as a regional organization—how important is it?
Thread: Of the many regional organizations that exist today, the EU is arguably among the most important (Asia is obviously critically important). But why? Acknowledging vastly unequal national capabilities among EU members from East to West, Europe is a more prosperous region than any other in the world. Yet some states, like the UK (Brexit), have questioned membership in the EU and its many commitments. Other members have expressed their hesitations with less drama, yet with no less intent to free ride as much as possible on the benefits of EU membership, while focusing most resources and attention on their own domestic needs. Given the readings, video presentations, and your own research, answer the following prompts in any order or manner you wish, separately or integrated:
- Why is the EU as important to the collective well-being of its member states as member states are to their own people? One useful hint here is to ask if the logic of collective action driving the emergence of the EU has any comparative example in American history—can you guess what that very famous example would be?
- Why is the EU important to the well-being of other regions and states? Why should China, the US, or Russia care, for example, about the long-term viability of the EU?
- Using biblical and extra-biblical sources to inform your own reasoning (leave Bible prophecy aside for now), on what basis might Christians plausibly justify support for, indifference to, or even opposition to contractual arrangements like the EU? In plain English, can biblical wisdom and worldview better inform the practical and moral boundaries of interaction with regional institutions like the EU (think of other regional bodies as well)? What might some of those boundaries be?
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