A power vaccum has fueled frustration and created an entirely new breed of disenfranchised voters who are fed up with the status quo. They believe politicians in Washington pay more attention to special interests groups and powerful lobbyists writing checks to their next campaigns than listening to the people back home who sent them to Washington in the first place. These are real people, their anger is palpable, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

America is in decline.  There are some that still attempt to deny this, but the reason why Donald Trump’s campaign slogan has so strongly resonated with the American people is because deep inside citizens  realize that America is not as great as it used to be.  The economy is a mess, the U.S. is 19 trillion dollars in debt, infrastructure is crumbling (roads and bridges are falling apart, airports are in Third World conditions), crime is on the rise, moral decay is all over, other countries don’t respect the U.S.

Austria

The Verwaltubngsakademie des Bundes (VAB)/Federal Academy of Public Administration was founded in 1976 as a government training agency. VAB offers

Author: Dr. Craig S. Fleisher (Edited by AALEP)

Positive (Driving Forces)

In January 2017, Member States will examine the option of extending, tightening, easing or lifting some of the sanctions adopted against the Russian Federation. Beyond this short term deadline, general election in France and Germany will give rise to a potential turning point in the EU’s relations with Russia.

The Slovak Presidency comes at a time when the European Union finds itself in an unprecedented situation. The negative outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU has presented us with a new challenge; for the first time in history, we are required to concern ourselves with the practicalities and political ramifications of a Member State leaving the EU. At this juncture, it is vital that the EU engage in self-reflection.

In this post-satire political landscape, the British Prime Minister quit because he didn’t want Brexit, the two most vocal Brexiteers have decided not to continue on either, and everyone is up in arms about why the Leader of the Opposition won’t quit as well. Remember when taking responsibility for one’s actions was part of the job description of politicians – particularly prime ministers? Cameron, Farage and Johnson collectively crafted one of the most tumultuous weeks in the history of modern British politics.

As EU leaders in Brussels and the Member States struggle to come up with solutions following the Brexit, old disputes about proper economic and fiscal policy as well as the form and depth of European integration are bound to re-emerge. European leaders  are  the actors best placed to change prevailing ideas underlying policy-making and incite necessary reforms. During periods of unexpected sudden crisis dominant ideas can become vulnerable and challenged by alternative, competing ideas.

The European project faces the most difficult period in its post-war history. The Member States of the European Union are grappling with challenges and dangers which have forced them to revisit the principles that have traditionally underpinned thinking about the nature of European integration. In the face of growing crises, many citizens and social groups across Europe feel distant from and even outright hostile to the EU in its current form.

Apart from Switzerland, European countries do not frequently include their citizens in the law- and decision-making process. Since the 1970’s, referendums on the European integration have occurred in several member and non-member states. Three different types of referendums can be distinguished: accession referendums, treaty-ratification referendums, and European issues related referendums. Forty-one referendums have been conducted on European issues in almost twenty countries.