Whose Liberty is it Anyway?

The European Union is not a state, but a collection of states. From the outset, this European project has struggled to turn its many histories into one unifying narrative. United more by what they rejected than by their aspirations, Europe today is dedicated - in principle if not in practice - to the brotherhood of man, to unity in diversity, and to liberty under law. Even as it struggles to deliver on its many contradictory promises, the EU attempts what many nations have attempted before: to control the past by recasting major events like the revolutions of 1989 as milestones in a common history, shared by all the people of Europe. In "Whose Liberty Is It Anyway?" Stefan Auer exposes the limits of the current European project by interrogating some of its many incongruities, particularly when it comes to its commitment to freedom. The author argues that the calls for more European solidarity are not convincing when Europe's poor are asked to pay for the mistakes of those who are more fortunate, and European citizenship appears hollow when basic EU freedoms apply to some citizens more than to others. Europe's unity, Auer asserts, can only be maintained by accepting its limitations and by beginning to fulfill some of its many promises.