The last ten years have been challenging for the European Union. From the economic Euro Crisis in 2009, the after effects of the Arab Spring in 2011, and the peak of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, the governments of the EU are increasingly finding themselves in disagreement. Currently, nations are increasingly divided over immigration, with strong nationalistic movements emerging as many member states look to reclaim their sovereignty. In 2016 Britain voted to leave the Union, leaving open the possibility that other states will follow, with nationalism, xenophobia and support for right-wing populist parties rising throughout Europe. This paper will explore in what ways the Syrian refugee crisis has exacerbated EU governance issues by increasing nationalism within certain member states. It will also examine the potential breakdown of European values by looking at the rise of right-wing politics, and the increasing xenophobic attitudes of political leaders and EU citizens. This study looks at the refugee problem as a sort of tipping point that could gravely fracture the EU, and it seeks to determine if Europe will be able to overcome this rise in nationalism and remain united.
- Effects of the Syrian Refugee Crisis on the EU: Nationalism on the Rise
- Marinella Taoushiani
- Sandra Jones (Advisor)
- Brandeis University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; Master of Arts (MA)
- Master of Arts (MA), Brandeis University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- Brandeis University
- Brandeis University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- 10192/33912; 9923879978601921
- Copyright by Marinella Taoushiani 2017
- Interdepartmental Program in International and Global Studies
- English
- Thesis