Itis now commonplace to hear people say the EU is embroiled in an existentialcrisis. Indeed, Brexit may mean the process of EU disintegration has alreadybegun. However, while much political and journalistic attention is centred ondescribing the EU's woes, far less attention is being paid to what theconsequences of such a disintegration might be. Fromthe terrorist and migration crises facing the Continent to the new threat fromRussia, and from the euro's unending fragility to the rise of a new,Eurosceptic politics, Ian Kearns tells the story of the biggest crisis to hitEurope since the end of the Second World War. It makes clear just what is atstake. With the EU in a far more fragile state than many realise, Collapse sets out the specific scenariosthat could lead to the breakdown of the European Union. It charts thecatastrophic economic, political, and geopolitical developments likely to followshould such a collapse occur. And it offers bold solutions to challenge thosein positions of authority to build a new, reformed union -- one capable of ridingout the storm and of positioning Europe for success in the remainder of thetwenty-first century.

Drawingon the author's extensive network of senior political, diplomatic, military, andbusiness leaders from across the Continent, Collapse tells the story of Europe'ssuper-crisis from within. Both an urgent warning and a passionate call toaction, it seeks to defend not just the EU but the seven decades of peace andprogress the union represents.