Political Geography, Geopolitics, and EU Future

1. Europe in flux: Predictions for the twenty-first century. Europe’s premiere role in the world ebbed during the
   twentieth century. As Central and Eastern Europe continues moving further toward democracy and capitalism
   while Western Europe continues its robust economic develop and embrace of the European Union, one can
   expect many changes on the horizon for this region.
   • Make predictions about Europe’s role in the world economy, political debates, and social development during
   the twenty-first century.
   • While the EU creates a strong bond between most of the countries today, one might speculate about
   alternative groupings. Make predictions about possible shifts in relationships among countries and subregions
   during this century. Justify your choices.
   • Make predictions about how Europe will adjust to the global economic shift away from the Atlantic Basin and
   toward the Pacific Rim.
   OR
2. Europe’s rivers as shared resources. Europe’s rivers tend to be international bodies of water because they
   flow through several countries and provide valuable means of transportation, especially of goods, at
   reasonable cost.
   • Debate the pros and cons of designating the major rivers as shared resources for the entire region. View this
   proposal from the perspective of individual countries, the European Union, and the region as a whole.
   • Develop a checklist for identifying the rivers that would be designated as shared resources, explaining the
   basis for the characteristics chosen. Suggest at least three suitable rivers.
   • Identify roles that individual nations have regarding these rivers, and compare those roles to governance by a
   regional council, such as the EU.
   OR
3. Policymaker for a day. Many economic, social, environmental, and political challenges are unique to each
   region of the world. Solutions to these problems are just as varied.
   • Choose a significant issue or problem (e.g., economic crisis, environment damage, gender inequality, etc.)
   facing a subregion or country in Europe.
   • Outline the ways the problem is currently being addressed, if at all.
   • Identify all the “stakeholders” affected by the issue and how it affects their particular group.
   • Next, outline the strategies or programs you would recommend in order to improve the situation (consider
   local and international scale, innovative and standard policies, community and economic development, etc.).
   Identify how you would include the perspectives of the “stakeholders” you identified above.

Sample Solution