What Does Europe Want?: The Union and Its Discontents (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

Slavoj Žižek and Srecko Horvat combine their critical clout to emphasize the dangers of ignoring Europe's growing wealth gap and the parallel rise in right-wing nationalism, which is directly tied to the fallout from the ongoing financial crisis and its prescription of imposed austerity. To general observers, the European Union's economic woes appear to be its greatest problem, but the real peril is an ongoing ideological-political crisis that threatens an era of instability and reactionary brutality. The fall of communism in 1989 seemed to end the leftist program of universal emancipation. Read more... Abstract: Slavoj Žižek and Srecko Horvat combine their critical clout to emphasize the dangers of ignoring Europe's growing wealth gap and the parallel rise in right-wing nationalism, which is directly tied to the fallout from the ongoing financial crisis and its prescription of imposed austerity. To general observers, the European Union's economic woes appear to be its greatest problem, but the real peril is an ongoing ideological-political crisis that threatens an era of instability and reactionary brutality. The fall of communism in 1989 seemed to end the leftist program of universal emancipation Slavoj Žižek And Srećko Horvat Combine Their Critical Clout To Emphasize The Dangers Of Ignoring Europe's Growing Wealth Gap And The Parallel Rise In Right-wing Nationalism, Which Is Directly Tied To The Fallout From The Ongoing Financial Crisis And Its Prescription Of Imposed Austerity. To General Observers, The European Union's Economic Woes Appear To Be Its Greatest Problem, But The Real Peril Is An Ongoing Ideological-political Crisis That Threatens An Era Of Instability And Reactionary Brutality. The Fall Of Communism In 1989 Seemed To End The Leftist Program Of Universal Emancipation. However, Nearly A Quarter Of A Century Later, The European Union Has Failed To Produce Any Coherent Vision That Can Mobilize People To Action. Until Recently, The Only Ideology Receptive To European Workers Has Been The Nationalist Call To Defend Against Immigrant Integration. Today, Europe Is Focused On Regulating The Development Of Capitalism And Promoting A Reactionary Conception Of Its Cultural Heritage. Yet Staying These Courses, Žižek And Horvat Show, Only Strips Europe Of Its Power And Stifles Its Political Ingenuity. The Best Hope Is For Europe To Revive And Defend Its Legacy Of Universal Egalitarianism, Which Benefits All Parties By Preserving The Promise Of Equal Representation. Foreword : The Destruction Of Greece As A Model For All Of Europe : Is This The Future That Europe Deserves? / Alexis Tsipras -- Preface : What Does The U.s. Want, Or What To Do After Occupy? / S. Horvat -- Breaking Our Eggs Without The Omelette, From Cyprus To Greece / S. Žižek -- Danke Deutschland! / S. Horvat -- When The Blind Are Leading The Blind, Democracy Is The Victim / S. Žižek -- Why The Eu Needs Croatia More Than Croatia Needs The Eu / S. Horvat -- What Does Europe Want? / S. Žižek -- Are The Nazis Living On The Moon? / S. Horvat -- The Return Of The Christian-conservative Revolution / S. Žižek -- In The Land Of Blood And Money : Angelina Jolie And The Balkans / S. Horvat -- The Turkish March / S. Žižek -- War And Peace In Europe : 'bei Den Sorglosen' / S. Horvat -- Save Us From The Saviours : Europe And The Greeks / S. Žižek -- 'i'm Not Racist, But ... The Blacks Are Coming!' / S. Horvat -- Shoplifters Of The World Unite / S. Žižek -- Do Markets Have Feelings? / S. Horvat -- The Courage To Cancel The Debt / S. Žižek -- The Easiest Way To The Gulag Is To Joke About The Gulag / S. Horvat -- We Need A Margaret Thatcher Of The Left / S. Žižek -- Europe Will Be Either Democratic And Social Or It Will No Longer Exist (interview) / A. Tsipras -- 'the Role Of The European Left' (debate) / S. Žižek And A. Tsipras -- Afterword : Europe Is Dead, Long Live Europe! / S. Horvat. Slavoj Žižek, Srećko Horvat ; Foreword, Alexis Tsipras. Includes Bibliographical References. Content: Foreword: The Destruction of Greece as a Model for All of Europe: Is this the Future that Europe Deserves?, by Alexis TsiprasPreface: What does the U.S. Want, or What to Do After Occupy?, by Srecko Horvat1. Breaking Our Eggs without the Omelette, from Cyprus to Greece, by Slavoj Zizek2. Danke Deutschland!, by Srecko Horvat3. When the Blind Are Leading the Blind, Democracy Is the Victim, by Slavoj Zizek4. Why the EU Needs Croatia More than Croatia Needs the EU, by Srecko Horvat5. What Does Europe Want?, by Slavoj Zizek6. Are the Nazis Living on the Moon?, by Srecko Horvat7. The Return of the Christian-conservative Revolution, by Slavoj Zizek8. In the Land of Blood and Money: Angelina Jolie and the Balkans, by Srecko Horvat9. The Turkish March, by Slavoj Zizek10. War and Peace in Europe: 'Bei den Sorglosen', by Srecko Horvat11. Save Us from the Saviours: Europe and the Greeks, by Slavoj Zizek12. 'I'm Not Racist, but . . . the Blacks are Coming!', by Srecko Horvat13. Shoplifters of the World Unite, by Slavoj Zizek14. Do Markets Have Feelings?, by Srecko Horvat15. The Courage to Cancel the Debt, by Slavoj Zizek16. The Easiest Way to the Gulag Is to Joke About the Gulag, by Srecko Horvat17. We Need a Margaret Thatcher of the Left, by Slavoj Zizek18. Europe Will Be Either Democratic and Social or It Will No Longer Exist (interview by Srecko Horvat), by Alexis Tsipras19. The Role of the European Left (debate), by Slavoj Zizek and Alexis TsiprasAfterword: Europe Is Dead, Long Live Europe!, by Srecko HorvatNotes Slavoj Žižek and Srecko Horvat combine their critical clout to emphasize the dangers of ignoring Europe's growing wealth gap and the parallel rise in right-wing nationalism, which is directly tied to the fallout from the ongoing financial crisis and its prescription of imposed austerity. To general observers, the European Union's economic woes appear to be its greatest problem, but the real peril is an ongoing ideological–political crisis that threatens an era of instability and reactionary brutality. The fall of communism in 1989 seemed to end the leftist program of universal emancipation. However, nearly a quarter of a century later, the European Union has failed to produce any coherent vision that can mobilize people to action. Until recently, the only ideology receptive to European workers has been the nationalist call to "defend" against immigrant integration. Today, Europe is focused on regulating the development of capitalism and promoting a reactionary conception of its cultural heritage. Yet staying these courses, Žižek and Horvat show, only strips Europe of its power and stifles its political ingenuity. The best hope is for Europe to revive and defend its legacy of universal egalitarianism, which benefits all parties by preserving the promise of equal representation. Slavoj Zizek and Srecko Horvat combine their critical clout to emphasize the dangers of ignoring Europe's growing wealth gap and the parallel rise in right-wing nationalism, which is directly tied to the fallout from the ongoing financial crisis and its prescription of imposed austerity. To general observers, the European Union's economic woes appear to be its greatest problem, but the real peril is an ongoing ideological-political crisis that threatens an era of instability and reactionary brutality. The fall of communism in 1989 seemed to end the leftist program of universal emancipation. However, nearly a quarter of a century later, the European Union has failed to produce any coherent vision that can mobilize people to action. Until recently, the only ideology receptive to European workers has been the nationalist call to "defend" against immigrant integration. Today, Europe is focused on regulating the development of capitalism and promoting a reactionary conception of its cultural heritage. Yet staying these courses, Zizek and Horvat show, only strips Europe of its power and stifles its political ingenuity. The best hope is for Europe to revive and defend its legacy of universal egalitarianism, which benefits all parties by preserving the promise of equal representation Slavoj Žižek is a professor at the Institute for Sociology, University of Ljubljana, and at the European Graduate School. Among his most recent books are Demanding the Impossible, The Year of Dreaming Dangerously, and The Sublime Object of Ideology. He is a coeditor of Hegel and the Infinite: Religion, Politics, and Dialectic and a contributor to Democracy in What State?, What Does a Jew Want? On Binationalism and Other Specters, and Reimagining the Sacred: Debating God with Richard Kearney. Srećko Horvat is a Croatian philosopher and the author of nine books. He is also a highly respected political theorist and activist, and a columnist for The Guardian. His latest book is After the End of History: From the Arab Spring to the Occupy Movement. PHI019000,Philosophy/Political,PHI027000,Philosophy/Movements/Deconstruction In this book, Slavoj Žižek and Srecko Horvat emphasize the dangers of ignoring Europe's growing wealth gap and the parallel rise in right-wing nationalism, which is directly tied to the fallout from the ongoing financial crisis and its prescription of imposed austerity. The best hope, they argue, is for Europe to revive its legacy of universal egalitarianism, preserving the promise of equal representation