Conversation on Transatlanticism and Europe Blog

By Victoria Prince This blog post was written for the course "Current Issues in Global and EU Affairs", which took place from February 12-April 30, 2018. Across transatlantic lines, there is an increasing trend of populist movements. This trend is spreading across Europe and can be found in both the post-communist countries of Eastern Europe and the well-defined democratic countries in Western Europe. Populist groups and even presidential candidates are gaining ground in the UK, France, Italy, and Germany, among many other states. They strive for a reversal of the European integration that resulted from the European Union. Populism has strong nationalist ideas and sees the EU as a threat to the nation's sovereignty. The entire development of globalization and connectivity has led the populist ideology to focus on increased xenophobic feelings and increased fringe politics. It is found that the rise of populism in Europe is a direct result of the Trump presidency in ...

By Katherine Brown This blog post was written for the course "Current Issues in Global and EU Affairs", which took place from February 12-April 30, 2018. US President Donald Trump recently welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House, and it was quite the spectacle. If there was any pomp in Washington D.C., it was put on display for the French President. It is not surprising, the French and US military routinely partake in military exercises, spends billions on military equipment – and this is only in the current century (let us not forget who funded the rebellion against the British). The security relationship between France and the United States remains strong even in the face of Donald Trump, who most people assumed would doom any good and meaningful relationships the US has. In fact, President Trump seems to have gotten one memo from the swamp – France matters when it comes to security. While a good relationship between two strong military nations is...