MONDAY
01 THEORY
International Integration Theories
FRIDAY
02 ANALYTICS
European Integration in a Fragmenting World
03 CURRENT AFFAIRS
- | PANEL DISCUSSION — KEY IDEAS
- | SPEAKER PERSPECTIVES — THE CONTRAST
- | DISCUSSION — QUESTIONS
- | LANGUAGE BANK — 10 ITEMS
- | ANALYTICAL TAKEAWAY — COMPARISON → EVALUATION
04 THE WORLD THIS WEEK
ANALYTICAL COMMENTARY OF THE EVENT
Your task: comment analytically on a current socio-political event. Move beyond retelling: explain what happened, why it matters, and what is likely to follow.
THE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK
EVENT → CONTEXT / CAUSE → SIGNIFICANCE → IMPLICATION → EVIDENCE / WHY
KEY TERMS
| interconnect | be interwoven or linked closely together |
| alter | to make different, modify |
| accommodate | to adapt, adjust |
| non state actors | organizations and/or individuals not directed or funded by any government |
| sovereignty | the right to have absolute and unlimited power, either legal or political, within the territory of a state |
| policy-making | the activity of deciding on new policies, especially by a government or political party |
| governance | the act of exercising authority |
| interdependence | a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities |
| participation | the act of becoming involved in the activities of a group |
| subsidiarity | the principle of devolving decisions to the lowest practical level |
FOCUS WORDS
| advance | способствовать; приближать, ускорять; продвигаться |
| pursue | преследовать, продолжать, заниматься; искать, добиваться |
| attend to | обращать внимание; уделять внимание |
| asset | имущество; средства; активы; ценное качество, вклад |
| priority | приоритет |
| undergo | подвергаться, испытывать, переносить |
| foster | поощрять, воспитывать, благоприятствовать |
| trigger | инициировать, вызывать, дать начало |
| tangible | материальный, ощутимый, осязаемый |
| feasible | возможный, осуществимый, выполнимый, вероятный |
PREPOSITIONS
success in
threat to
prospect of
tension over
regardless of
paradox for
renege on
belonging to
option for
opportunities for
approach to
account for
basis for
contribute to
attend to
GRAMMAR PATTERNS
In a world that is tearing itself apart, the European Union should make trust in the European project a top strategic priority.
Despite a succession of severe convulsions, European integration has recently undergone a historic acceleration.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe two and a half years ago, practically all of the EU’s decisions have sought to strengthen member states’ political integration.
If the country meets the bloc’s entry requirements, there is no reason why it should not be admitted.
Promises of eventual membership and the long negotiations that precede it will harm the Union if they generate frustration among candidate countries’ governments and citizens.
Without the EU’s 2004 enlargement to Eastern Europe, the bloc would not be the commercial and regulatory power it is today.