Slippery Slope: Europe’s Troubled Future

If Europe’s existence were formulated as a question, a good candidate would be one that’s been asked a lot: what is to be done? This is the question at the heart of Merritt’s (The Challenge of Freedom) study. Wasting no time, the author dispels 10 myths about Europe (things as banal as “Europe is rich” or “Europe is strong”) that he believes are obscuring the real situation: that Europe is on a steep downhill path. His prescriptions largely regard Europe’s place in a globalized age. He relates the EU’s status in the coming years to the rise of China and India (Europeans should engage, not fear) and the increasing role of major African states on the world stage (Europeans shouldn’t squander a great opportunity for growth and should put their minds toward changes in trade policy). Merritt argues for increased immigration primarily to fill gaps in the shrinking, aging workforce and to introduce more consumers, creating more demand within the market economy and, in turn, more jobs. These are viable solutions, but they’re only a few of the steps back from the cliff’s edge. His domestic solutions are likewise achievable, but everything within the book will be an uphill battle. (Aug.)