Alumni Weekend Panel Focuses on Brexit
The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University was proud to participate in Alumni Weekend at Boston University , welcoming current students, alumni, and friends of the school on October 1, 2016.
Alumni Weekend events at the Pardee School featured “The World in Flux,” a panel discussion featuring Pardee School faculty discussing the June 2016 Brexit referendum in which United Kingdom voters decided by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the European Union. Fallout from the referendum included Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to step down.
The panel included Erik Goldstein, Professor of International Relations and History, Amb. Paul Hare, Senior Lecturer at the Pardee School, and John D. Woodward Jr., Professor of the Practice of International Relations. The panel was moderated by Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Director of the Center for the Study of Europe.
Schmidt opened the discussion by detailing the wide-ranging implications the Brexit referendum has had on the United Kingdom and the European Union.
“What is going to happen to the European Union once Britain is gone? Is a domino affect likely? I don’t believe that, but it’s an important question,” Schmidt said. “Even if the EU doesn’t fall apart what is next for the EU in the long and the short term without Britain? What about the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States and issues of security cooperation? What about questions about British democracy given that this referendum sidelined British parliament which is the repository of parliament sovereignty? These are the questions that go deeper into what is happening to British institutions.”
Goldstein discussed the issue of sovereignty and the unprecedented nature of the Brexit referendum potentially overriding parliament.
“One of the things that has happened with this referendum which I think is outside the immediate issue, but is part of the debate, is does the referendum trump Parliament? Parliament has always been the core of sovereignty — you elect your representative and they represent you in parliament and make decisions. There has never been a time when a referendum overrode parliament.”
Following “The World In Flux” panel was a meet and greet reception for current Pardee School students and alumni, which provided an opportunity for interaction across a wide variety of fields. Attendees learned the benefits of a Pardee education in the work force, as well as creating valuable professional connections.