Noted American linguist, activist and author Noam Chomsky has predicted that the right-wing sentiments that have arisen in Europe, following the failure of the neo-liberal policies that were adopted by many countries there, in light of the migrant crisis, could spell the end of the European Union (EU).
In an interview to Russia Today, Chomsky said the breaking up of the EU would be "a tragic development," given that the manner in which the European countries have accepted these migrants and integrated them into their society had created great problems, despite being one of the "great achievements of the post-WWII period."
France is next
With Brexit — the secession of the United Kingdom from the EU — already under way, thereby heralding the breaking-up of the grouping, Chomsky thinks the next to go out would be France. The RT report quoted him as saying: "France's right-wing presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who is rooting for a referendum regarding France's membership in the EU, stands a good chance of winning the elections and thus likely initiating the so-called Frexit."
He also said: "I don't think Germany would initiate it [the collapse of the EU] because they are beneficiaries of the union. If the union falls apart, I think it would be a tragic development."
'Failed neo-liberal policies'
Chomsky blamed the "failed neo-liberal policies of the past generation" for this decline, claiming that they led to the rise of the right-wingers and anti-establishmentarians. He said: "These programmes were designed in such a way so that they would lead to stagnation and even decline for a large part, actually, majority of the population. They also severely undermined democracy, which is even more true in Europe than in the US."
He also said: "The result of these processes is that people are angry, disillusioned, their hopes for the future have collapsed." The article also quoted him as saying: "The establishment of a single currency without the proper political structure is a recipe for disaster."
Demerits of the grouping
Chomsky also seemed to provide solid reasoning behind why countries were looking to opt out of the EU. He said: "In Europe, whoever is elected, no matter where they are in the political spectrum, the policies are going to be the same, because they are not determined by the policies in their countries."
