Kalypso Nicolaïdis Bücher

Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice offers a very different take on Brexit to those found in most news segments or opinion pieces. Kalypso Nicolaidis, Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, examines Britain's relationship with the EU through the lens of Greek mythology, using three key archetypes to analyse the differing visions of the world that have clashed so dramatically over this issue. 'Exodus' makes Brexit a story about British exceptionalism; both a British problem and a testimony to the EU's incapacity to accommodate exceptions. 'Reckoning' brings the story back to the EU's shores, with Brexit a harbinger of terrible truths which we lump together under the easy label of euroscepticism. And 'Sacrifice' contends with the ironic possibility that after and perhaps because of Brexit, the EU will live up to the pluralist ideals that define both the best of Britain and the best of Europe. Ultimately, the book contains a plea for acknowledging each other's stories, with their many variants, ambiguities and contradictions. And in this spirit of recognition, it calls for a mutually respectful, do-no-harm Brexit - the smarter, kinder and gentler Brexit possible in our hard-edged epoch of resentment and frustration.

Based on a transatlantic dialogue between scholars, this work addresses the complex and changing relationship between levels of governance within the United States and the European Union. It examines modes of governance on both sides, analyzing the ramifications of the legitimacy crisis in our multi-layered democracies and moving beyond the current policy debates over "devolution" and "subsidiarity." Its authors believe that in spite of the fundamental differences between them, both the EU and the US are in the process of re-defining a federal vision for the twenty-first century.