Government and Politics in Europe Sept. 25, 2014 Hung-jen Wang 王宏仁

Today’s Outline House keeping things: (1) Some reference articles are already on Moodle; (2) how to prepare group presentation? [single or multiple themes? Representative symbols in pictures or video;] (3) order of groups: 1-8…> after mid-term 8-1 Lecture: (1) A brief visual presentation of European countries; (1) What is Europe? I, II, III, IV

The 28 countries of European Union

Countries using the euro

On the road to EU membership

Other European countries

European Studies: membership of international organizations

General and demographic data on European democracies

What is Europe? (I) Before the end of the Cold War: the bipolar confrontation divided the European continent into Western and Eastern Europe. [the Cold War Europe] In the beginning of the end of the Cold War: Liberal democracy was on the march, and a Europe was seen to be peaceful, dynamic, progressive as a whole. [Post-communist Europe] Now, “what is Europe” often comes with caution, hesitation and little fear when Europe turns out to be fragmented, conflictive, stagnant and in decline. [Post-postcommunist Europe?] The countries of Europe remain individually distinctive in many respects, while they also share a common existence within Europe and a high degree of interdependence.

Two themes we need to know before studying the European politics: First, Europe is not the European Union. While European integration has great influence on Europeans, there are cluster of ideas, values, traditions and institutions that constitute national identities and cultures. Second, Europeans are different because they want to be different. European diversity is a natural outcome of popular democracy. However, a fundamental challenge underlying developments in European politics is to find a balance between diversity and solidarity, democracy and moderation.

How to understand the development of Europe? Two Levels of Analysis: European and National levels We always have to look at the interaction between these two levels:  European economic integration vs. National governments  Foreign policy cooperation vs. national institutions and voters  EU influence: Eastern Europe vs. Central/Eastern Europe

How to understand the development of Europe?

What is Europe? (II) Democratic states in Europe:  Governance, political institutions, and power  Varieties of political structure  Political parties

What is Europe? (III) Diverse challenges to modern Europe:  Political corruption, de-legitimization, and stability  Political extremism, political radicalism, populism, religious fundamentalism, and terrorism.  Judicialization of politics  Freedom of religious expression  Welfare states  Immigration issues

禁穆斯林戴面紗 歐人權法院挺（ 2014/07/02 ，中央社） 歐洲人權法院昨天決定，支持法國禁止公民穿戴穆斯林全罩面紗， 但也承認這項禁令可能有些過度，也帶點刻板印象。 法國在 2010 年宣布，所有人在公眾場合，不得穿戴遮住全臉的服飾， 違反規定者處 150 歐元（約合新台幣 6000 元）罰鍰。 這項禁令曾引起穆斯林的反彈，因法國的穆斯林信徒約 500 萬人， 而部分婦女外出穿戴只露出雙眼的全罩面紗。 一名 24 歲巴基斯坦裔法國公民狀告歐洲人權法院（ European Court of Human Rights ），並說穿戴全罩面紗是她個人意願，並未有任何人逼 迫她。 不過，歐洲人權法院昨天票決以 15 比 2 支持法國。歐洲人權法院說 明判決指出，禁令的目的為確保開放民主社會價值，包括社會交流的開 放性，也鼓勵不同宗教信仰和背景的公民「一起生活」，並未違反宗教 自由。 包括比利時、西班牙與義大利的部分城鎮，也頒布類似禁令。

What was Europe? (IV) Map of 1914 Europe

Map of 1919

1919 Germany: Weimar Republic 1920 Germany: Nazi party (National Socialist German Worker’s Party) Crisis of liberal democracy? The Second World War,

Map of 1945 Europe