Bargaining over Europe

Local/Global dynamics

Conditions exist in England for diverse communities to develop the quality of relationships needed to manage what is an array of complex and interconnected issues. That is, there are mature, responsible and responsive institutions, and a myriad of different civil society organisations surfacing different issues and tackling them. These conditions have served us pretty well as our communities have adjusted to, amongst other things,  different waves of immigration, the end of the cold war, and the impacts of English involvement in conflict abroad (in particular Northern Ireland, the Falklands and Afghanistan).

However, over the past decade the context in which contested issues are being managed has developed a new dynamic. This dynamic is testing community resilience in ways we do not easily recognise or understand. In both political and civic institutions and spaces in England, mirrored elsewhere in Europe, we express attitudes towards young people, argue about immigration, discuss the pros and cons of localism, debate the extent to which economic well-being and fairness is threatened by cuts to public spending and the growing gulf between the haves and have nots, and grapple with the contradictions inherent in what it takes to feel safe. These are not really new conversations you may say.

What creates the new dynamic is the pressure of significant external influences which complicate the issues. These stem from the reach of globalisation. In particular (a) the consequences of the 9/11 tragedy in 2001, the war on terror which ensued and how this altered relations between Muslim and non-Muslim communities and attitudes to security; (b) the global financial crisis, the mismanagement of the banking system, defaults of debt servicing in the Eurozone, radical deficit reduction and cuts to public services and jobs; (c) the expansion of the European Union, with more countries lining up to join, the loosening of travel restrictions of EU citizens within the EU and consequent changes to migration patterns, and; (d) the growth of social media, particularly Facebook and the internet, difficult to monitor and accessible to all no matter what the political agenda.

Challenges to conflict management strategies

These global influences have combined to challenge our sense of identity and security in Europe triggering a new, often extreme, wave of nationalist sentiment. This global/local dynamic begs the question – are our European institutions and organisations equipped to sustain and develop the relationships needed to deal with what are and increasingly complex set of interrelated issues?

On the surface, we may think and witness little change in the management of contested issues within communities. Business is as usual you could say. These are the communities where conversations are going on about employment and housing and community policing and where the ‘shock’ of change has arguably been minimal. Tension is being managed. They remain resilient.

But there are also communities where tensions driven by this dynamic are felt acutely - where the combination of interrelated local and global pressures are creating shocks which are hard to handle. For example, in small communities experiencing a very sharp rise in the numbers of economic migrants; or places witnessing a sharp rise in youth unemployment combined with a radical cut in youth services; or in marginalised communities where the combination of any of these factors is enough the tip the balance between coping and not coping. 

In particular, many communities are reeling under the impacts of cuts in public spending, aimed at reducing deficits and instilling confidence in financial markets. At national and local levels debate has become more heated, views have become more polarised and it is more difficult to talk about problems openly and safely. Community resilience is being tested to the limit in many places - where the inability to resolve and manage contested issues become increasingly a source of anger, division and frustration. We have witnessed widespread rioting in English cities in the summer of 2011; in Greece the rise of the extreme right wing party Golden Dawn is a direct response to crippling austerity measures with its supporters carrying out attacks on immigrant markets and in public squares; and more recently rioting and protests have intensified in Italy where students have clashed with police in protests against budget cuts and where transport strikes have halted buses and trains.

Political settlements and the European Union

Given what we are witnessing in Europe, it can be argued with a worrying conviction that security, stability and fairness are no longer seen as guaranteed by an integrated Europe[1] [2].  And as these premises for peaceful coexistence come under scrutiny, so the associated values of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and basic civil liberties, and the rule of law also become strained[2] [3].

Established political settlements framed within the European Union are under question. The coalition government in the UK is currently seeking to disentangle itself from commitments under The Human Rights Act (HRA), which incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. The people of Greece no longer have faith in their political elites to secure bargains with Brussels which will provide them with jobs and economic security. The local resident witnessing a rapid influx of economic migrants to her community in England is faced with the response from her local authority that legislation regulating such migration is determined by the European parliament. And as the rise of Golden Dawn illustrates, previously peripheral actors are gaining new legitimacy by offering alternative bargains based on an exit from European economic integration and values.

Post war European integration was based on a commitment to preventing a repeat of the violence witnessed during the first and second world wars (60 million dies worldwide during WWII). Co-operation has been mainly economic but political objectives have become gradually more significant. It’s hard to argue against the original vision. But like all political settlements, the multi layered ones that nest within the European Union are shifting. The challenge is how best to manage the renegotiation of these settlements at a time when they are under considerable strain. If local citizens feel excluded and powerless to influence discussions and decisions then we are likely to see further violence on the streets of European cities. If political leaders in those countries hardest hit by the shock of the global financial crisis feel isolated in their struggle to cope then they will struggle to retain a sense of fairness in and commitment to European integration.

A peacebuilding approach

The influences of globalisation are not going away. We cannot afford to hide from the challenges these global influences and pressures pose to our local and national identities. The solution to economic hardship and feelings of injustice and unfairness will not be found in a retreat to nationalism.  Neither will it be found in stubborn attempts to hang onto a vision of European integration which no longer meets the needs of its citizens. This is the time to open up space for some honest discussion, to legitimise the importance of collective approaches to managing these tensions and conflicts, and to find ways of ensuring that in generating discussions we are faithful to the principle of inclusion. Peacebuilding has much to offer in this regard.  In particular, by creating safe spaces for dialogue and analysis addressing conflict dynamics in Europe, by convening local community leaders with national politicians, by bringing the concerns of local communities to the attention of the European Parliament, by conducting evidence based research which can inform advocacy and policy making on specific issues relating to conflict dynamics, and by creating platforms for economic, political and social interests to come together.