The Refugee Crisis and the European Union; Realism, Liberalism, and the Structure of Integration in Europe

How will the current migration and refugee crisis affect the European Union (EU)? Will it evoke a cooperative response among member states or unilateral, nationalist actions that exacerbate existing political issues and weaken the structure of political and economic integration? This question is of great importance regarding the future of this humanitarian crisis as well as the present and future of international relations. The Eurozone currency union is one of the largest markets in the world. Moreover, European states are historically the most important military and economic allies of the United States. The handling of the refugee crisis has serious implications for the future of the war in Syria. As the world looks ahead to new and evolving threats to security and prosperity, a strong Europe is vital to successful policy and action. This paper seeks to answer a question of the effects of crisis on cooperation. I approach this question from a theoretical and historical standpoint. I apply two established theories of international relations - structural realism and neoliberal institutionalism - to three different crises in the recent history of the European Union; the crises of Russian aggression in the East, debt in the South, and refugees across the continent. I divide each crisis into early, middle, and late stages and examine each stage by using scholarly papers, government and institutional documents and news sources to determine which theory best explains the policies associated with each stage of each crisis. I finish with the prediction that the future of the migration and refugee crisis will not be one of integrated cooperation resulting in effective policy, but of lopsided unilateral action