http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/european-politics Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:49:06 -0400 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 13:49:06 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1740/explaining-the-rise-of-populism-in-poland-the-post-communist-transition-as-a-critical-juncture-and-origin-of-political-decay-in-poland By Phillip S. Swallow - The Polish populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) overturned the mainstream consensus in Polish politics by returning to power in 2015 with a populist platform, decrying a selfish elite and advancing policies that critics saw as illiberal and authoritarian. In response to the PiS’s policies, the European Commission took the extreme step of triggering Article 7, which could result in suspension of Poland’s voting rights, among other sanctions(Baume, 2017). How did things go so wrong? Poland was once the shining example of the EU’s eastward expansion. Donald Tusk, its former president... Sat, 07 Jul 2018 10:14 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1740/explaining-the-rise-of-populism-in-poland-the-post-communist-transition-as-a-critical-juncture-and-origin-of-political-decay-in-poland http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1438/still-cordiale-revisiting-the-entente-cordiale-in-the-context-of-european-security-and-brexit By Paul Hagan - When Britain and France signed what became known as the ‘Entente Cordiale' in 1904, it brought into being an era of mutual cooperation between two neighbours whose past had often made them the best of enemies. The partnership served and survived two World Wars, but when I examined it in its centenary year for this publication back in 2004, relations had frayed. The fog on the channel had been broughtabout by disagreements over the Iraq war and French designs on building a counterweight to the US. However it would seem that in the years since the US-led invasion of Iraq, it would seem that... Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1438/still-cordiale-revisiting-the-entente-cordiale-in-the-context-of-european-security-and-brexit http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1430/genealogy-of-a-crisis-europe-greece-and-the-management-of-the-refugee-population By Helen Makkas - As Europe’s frontier with the Muslim East, Greece has been cast as backward, and not worthy of full sovereignty since the earliest years of its independence from the Ottoman empire. Greece's contradictory position as guardian of the origins of European civilization, and now of Fortress Europe on the one hand, and as pariah on the other, informs the tension between Greece and the EU that unfolds in the management of the current refugee crisis.The designation and self-perception of Greece as a pariah state combined with the exposure of the hypocrisy of EU rights discourse produces a violent... Tue, 26 Jul 2016 07:25 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1430/genealogy-of-a-crisis-europe-greece-and-the-management-of-the-refugee-population http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/883/the-sovereignty-of-the-european-court-of-justice-and-the-eus-supranational-legal-system By Hakan Kolcak - The European legal system has been considered as either an intergovernmental legal system or a supranational one. The intergovernmental order, on the one hand, emphasises that the European Court of Justice should consider the preferences of member-state governments in its decision-making processes. The supranational order, on the other hand, underscores that European law generates its own legal system, therefore, the Court should rule its case law in pursuant of the primary and secondary resources of European law. In this article, it is argued that the European legal system may be recognised as... Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:46 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/883/the-sovereignty-of-the-european-court-of-justice-and-the-eus-supranational-legal-system http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1486/from-fighting-nazis-to-electing-nazis-the-rise-of-golden-dawn-in-greece By Mary Shiraef - The party argues that only those with Greek blood are truly Greek, a statement that moves Golden Dawn beyond the nationalistic character of Italian fascism and closer to the biological racism of the National Socialist party of Nazi Germany. Citing Isokrates' Panegyricus, Golden Dawn seek to deprive foreigners from learning Greek, and further assume an obligation on the part of the Greek people to immerse themselves in Greek culture.3 They say his definition, that ‘people are called Greeks because they share in our education (paideusis) rather than in our birth',4 was meant to be exclusive... Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1486/from-fighting-nazis-to-electing-nazis-the-rise-of-golden-dawn-in-greece http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/773/is-the-european-commission-too-powerful-neofunctionalism-and-intergovernmentalism-considered By Andrei Constantin - This article highlights the European Commission’s role within the European Union (EU), which has been weakened over time. Through this essay various aspects of the Commission’s power in relation to the structure and procedures of comitology are analyzed utilizing the frameworks provided by the two leading schools of thought on European integration: neofunctionalism and liberal intergovernmentalism. The Commission is considered the heart of the process of integration because it is the key organisation whose formal powers and actual operation are believed to echo the patterns of integration... Thu, 17 Oct 2013 04:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/773/is-the-european-commission-too-powerful-neofunctionalism-and-intergovernmentalism-considered http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1076/is-the-eu-reaching-the-limits-of-enlargement By Martha Otwinowski - Among European states in the aftermath of the Second World War, multilateral cooperation was seen as a long term stabilisation for peace. The European Union (EU), since its establishment in 1957 as the European Coal and Steel Community with six members, saw several enlargement rounds over the subsequent decades, driven by the idea that ever more members mean new markets and therefore increase economic benefit for everyone. The idea of EU enlargement as a means of foreign policy2 first found expression in the 1986 accession of Spain and Portugal. With both states just coming out of authoritarian... Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1076/is-the-eu-reaching-the-limits-of-enlargement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1077/the-importance-of-the-lisbon-treaty-in-the-future-governance-of-europe-and-the-necessity-for-further-revision By Ainsley Gilbert - The lack of democracy in the European Union prior to the Treaty of Lisbon has been criticised by many, and it is fair to say that the EU was ‘closer to a form of enlightened despotism than a genuine democracy’.3 The only directly elected institution, the European Parliament, had little power, and citizens had no way of ”getting involved” in the policy making process of the Union other than through its infrequent elections. Decision-making authority rested with the unelected bureaucracy of the Commission and the Council of Ministers (made up of national politicians) rather... Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1077/the-importance-of-the-lisbon-treaty-in-the-future-governance-of-europe-and-the-necessity-for-further-revision http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1078/on-why-the-eu-should-die-and-be-resurrected By Petr Manousek - To explain this rather harsh statement, one must first look at the current state of EU integration studies. Scholars have become too interested in every little “mystery” surrounding the organisation and then have entrenched themselves in their rigid explanations. What they have failed to acknowledge in the meantime is the overarching principle of the “return of the state” and the resulting simple yet tremendously important realisation: EU business is still done when there are 27 (ideally, but often much fewer) people sitting around a table, discussing the issue at hand.... Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1078/on-why-the-eu-should-die-and-be-resurrected http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1114/the-lisbon-treaty-am-i-a-real-boy-now By Sofiya Kartalov - The Lisbon Treaty operates under the presumption that the EU is an incomplete individual, seeking to remedy the defects and omissions in its body. This organisation has taken on a quest for self-improvement similar to that of Pinocchio, the wooden marionette whose only wish is to become a real boy, in that it demonstrates a desire to change and evolve. The EU has already acquired personal will and now it seeks integrity as a whole individual. The Lisbon Treaty makes a bold claim towards this final goal by not only preserving the soul of the Union, but also striving to turn democracy, transparency... Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1114/the-lisbon-treaty-am-i-a-real-boy-now http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1173/what-future-for-a-polarised-europe By Andrew Jones - But it is a noticeable tendency of the Union to forever be attempting to sprint before it can toddle. After the two-year nightmare of the ratification process of the Maastricht Treaty, which did not even involve very much political union as such but was more concerned with economic and internal cooperation, then no sooner than her Majesty’s signature upon the British ratification Act was dry, then plans were made for another Inter- Governmental Conference three years later. So instead of Maastricht being allowed to settle down and begin to work effectively, it is likely that the... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1173/what-future-for-a-polarised-europe