European Union after Brexit / Politics, International Relations, and Popular Culture

obligatory courses

Lecture divided into four Parts:

1. Theoretical and practical description of the EU as a new kind of actor (player, subject, entity) on current international scene.

2. Deep and penetrating analysis of the EU relations with all major partners, like the US, Russia, China, and others, as well as their roles played by the EU on the Global Scene.

3. Speculative research of current world affairs, after recent crisis on global markets (2008 and aftermath), and in global security system (2014/15 and aftermath), including situation in Ukraine, formation of ISIS - Daesh and unprecedented migrant wave in Europe. Description of some new possible scenarios of further development on global arena of the era of dominating globalization and information revolution.

4. Consequences of Brexit, as an exmaple of the EU current crises, combinedwith the liberal democracy crisers and the current pandemic challenges. The Future of the EU and the West as an issue.

The European Union (EU) is embedded recently in multilevel and multifarious crises. It is visible in the economy, politics and social issues i.e. in classical sense, but recently is visible also in the sphere of security and even axiology or the system of values, defined in a certain moment, in June 1993, as so called Copenhagen Criteria. The situation is very dynamic, as well as dangerous and difficult to predict.

Principal issue in these series of lectures is tom show the unique, sui generis process of the European integration, an attempt to define the particular roles of the EU on the global scene (in more traditional way, i.e. in the economy, politics etc., as well as in the main directions of its international engagements, like the US, China, or Russia and Emerging Markets.

In the center of interest, however, is the analysis of current crisis situation, an attempt to define and properly describe them, combined with the effort to make conclusions out of all of them. In the title of these Lectures is the term "Brexit', which means - possibility of leaving the EU by the United Kingdom after the referendum in June 2016. However, no less attention will be paid here to the other most important issue, like Grexit (i.e. possibility of leaving the Eurozone by Greece, and the constant turbulences in this Zone), security crises on the borderlines of the EU (Ukraine - Crimea and Donbas, as well as the ISIS - Daesh), structural, which means - constant migrant crisis, so spectacular in the year 2015 end after (including the issue of terrorist danger).

The Lecture is finalized with some conclusions on current role of the EU in contemporary era, with the special attention paid to the election of Donald Trump as the president of the US, constantly growing role and assertiveness of China on international arena, as well as hard position of Russia under Vladimir Putin towards the West.

On this basis some scenarios of future situation concerning the global role of the EU are tentatively proposed. 'Tentatively', as current situation on the global arena is hardly predictable.

The Lecture is divided into four sections/chapters and 15 detailed issues as follows;

Chapter I - Theory

1. EU as a sui generis subject on the global arena

2. The essence of the European integration and its development

Chapter II - Global Role of the EU

3. The US - EU relations

4. The EU - China relations

5. The Eastern Partnership and relations with Russia

6. The EU in Africa and in Latin America

Chapter III - The EU in globalization era

7. The EU in global economy

8. The role of the EU in glovbal politics

9. Military pigmy and lack of common security policy

10. The EU in global processes (including climate change, environmental challenges etc.)

Part IV - Challenges and scenarios

11. Economic challenges: Grexit, Brexit, etc.

12. Axiology crisis - dismantle of chcecks and balances

13. Security challenges: Ukraine, ISIS, etc.

14. Liberal democracy crisis

15. The role of the EU in Global Order: BRICS, G-20, Emerging Markets and the effects of COVD pandemic.

Students obligations/workload:

lecture - 15 h

reading in foreign language - 60 h

preparation to the lecture - 30 h

preparation to the exam - 75 h

total - 180 h

Manuel Castells, The last Part of the Trilogy, "The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture", entitled: "End of Millennium", Blackwell, Oxford 2000 (Polish version available, PWN, Warsaw 2009).

Bogdan Góralczyk (ED.) "European Union on the Global Scene: United or Irrelevant?", Centre for Euriope, University of Warsaw 2015.

Andrew Hurrell, "On Global Order: Power, Values, and the Constitution of International Society", Oxford University Press 2008.

Joseph Stiglitz, "The Euro. How Common Currency Threatens The Future of Europe", W.W. Norton and Company, New York - London 2016

Yanis Varoufakis, "And The Weak Suffer What They Must?", The Bodley Head, Lodon 2016.

Jan Zielonka, "Is the EU Doomed?", Lonodn 2014, Polish Version: "Koniec Unii Europejskiej?", PISM, 2014.

Several aims to be achieved as a result of this series of lectures (as seen by the Lecturer). After completion of the course students:

- can show the dynamics of the new world (after 2008 financial cirisis on global markets and security criss on the borders of the EU since 2014/15);

- can define the role of the EU on contemporary stage of international affairs;

- can show the EU as seen from outside;

- are more sensible for the impact of the EU on current world affairs;

- To show the EU as real subject of world affairs in the era of multiple crises in the EU, properly defined and described within the framework of this Lecture. .

A written individual essay or a talk with the lecturer (like oral exam, but less than that).

Participation in the Lecture - crucial, as there is no handbook for the subjects touched during this presentation, due to the 'freshness' of the material. The exam only from the relevant issues presented during the Lecture.