What We’re Reading: British Independence, Swiss Neutrality

A Short History of Brexit: From Brentry to Backstop By Kevin O’Rourke Middle England By Jonathan Coe A little over a year ago, back when such things were permitted, I was vacationing on a Greek island (based on Caroline’s review, the vacations of yesteryear must be on all of our minds), where I struck up a conversation with an elderly British man. Naturally, the topic turned to Brexit. It didn’t take much prodding to get the man to share his feelings on the whole ordeal. “We won the war,” he said, referring to World War II, “but if you look at Europe, it’s like everyone won except for us.” He had other complaints, of course, but he kept returning to the idea that, three-quarters of a century after Britain’s triumph, the Europeans – and worst of all, the Germans – had come out on top. Britain was losing the long game, and it had no other option left but to flip the table. There have probably been a dozen explanations for British voters’ shocking decision more than four years ago to leave the European Union. Some of the most prominent ones include imperial nostalgia, Russian manipulation, or a backlash against […]