European Shibboleths

Mehreen Khan and a cast of shibboleths | Gildeadites and Ephraimites | Europe is diverse | Europe has been too naïve | Europe is green | Europe isn’t protectionist | Europe is humane to migrants | Europe has defeated populism | Defining separatism

25 January 2022

Europe is green. Europe is humane. Europe has defeated populism. These are common views among the EU chattering classes. But they often seem more reflexive than reflective, and some of them amount to shibboleths — beliefs that are outmoded or no longer as useful as they once may have been. In this episode Mehreen Khan of the Financial Times unpacks the European shibboleths that rank among her favourites. Past episodes with Mehreen feature her commentary on race and strategic autonomy; her clairvoyant take on French President Emmanuel Macron's ugly side; and her own brush with his policies on Islam.

James Kanter is co-founder and editor EU Scream. For 12 years he was an EU Correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times based in Paris and Brussels.  

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