Contemporary Challenges to regionalism Multiple Challenges of Regionalism 1. Resurgence of militant nationalism - There are certain factors when countries become more affluent, their residents get more liberal, more open to other groups. In recent history, wealth increased but politics became increasingly conservative and xenophobic. The Rule Darwinian Competition Income Distribution Low Social Cohesion Mass Media and The Internet International Politics 2. POPULISM - Populism is defined as a political movement claiming to represent the common people, acting as a juxtaposition of a corrupt political class, elite or establishment. It is no doubt that this current trend of the election of right-wing parties may be a result of low economic growth and rising levels of income inequality in the past decade. The European Debt Crisis in 2008 may be partially attributed with the rise of populism, as unresolved market effects, such as unemployment and sluggish economic growth, are still salient. More recent events, such as the refugee crisis and Brexit, demonstrate that there are still those within the broader population who oppose economic and social integration. The rise of populism in Europe and the conservative platforms upon which they have been able to attract voters has been a rising phenomenon this year. The relatively surprising election of President-elect Donald Trump in the United States alone has called into question what the future of multinational institutions and liberal democratic values will be. Various countries in Europe, particularly France with the National Front led by Marine Le Pen, are following a similar pattern. Europian Union -While the European Union (EU) has long been the most developed model of regional integration, it was severely shaken by the recent economic crisis, causing increasing doubts about the integration process. The lack of a timely and coherent response to the euro crisis called into question the integrity of the eurozone, whose structural and institutional fault lines have been revealed by the financial crisis. These doubts coincide with dramatic changes in the global economic order involving the relative decline of the EU and United States and the rise of Asia. The likely economic adjustments are already threatening social cohesion and political stability in Europe. The crisis has temporarily weakened the EU's status as a model for regional integration, but as the EU recovers its confidence, as it always has after previous crises, it will continue to be the leading example for other efforts at regional integration. Conclusion: Regionalism has been a key feature of contemporary international relations. As the most successful case of regional integration, the European Union (EU) has been leading the international debate. Yet, in the past few years new regional practices have emerged in other continents, thus adding to the variety and scope of regionalization processes. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of regionalism in a global arena ever more dominated by emerging powers and shifting political/economic balances. Against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, which has invariably weakened Europe and its integration model, the book examines the pace of integration in Africa, Asia and South America, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that the new global order poses to contemporary regionalisms. Besides a number of empirical case studies focusing on the political, economic and legal aspects of regionalization, the book also discusses innovative theoretical approaches to the study of regionalism in a post-European context.
