What ideas are now powering the European Union? For a long time, Europe and the European project confidently embodied the values of liberal universalism and cultural pluralism. That zeitgeist manifested itself in Europe’s self-image and its broad outlook on the world. Europe may not have been a superpower, but it was interested in the world and confident that its values were not a continental exclusive reserve. Now, however, many cherish a “Europe that protects” and it is increasingly common to hear a motivation for the EU that takes inspiration from the concepts of nationalism and the civilization state. Is Europe now becoming insular?
In this episode, Fredrik Erixon and Hans Kundnani have a conversation about Europe.
Hans Kundnani, Director of the Europe Programme at the Chatham House and author of The Paradox of German Power. In a recent article in the Guardian, and before that in an essay for the New Statesman, Kundnani argues that Europe has lost its cosmopolitan foundation and that its identity is increasingly white and Christian.
This episode was recorded as a live webinar. Click here to watch this conversation on YouTube.