Why Brexit Matters: British Illusions and the Future of the Transatlantic Community

UNC Global Affairs will host Ambassador (Ret.) Charles Ries, one of the State Department’s most noted experts on the formation of the EU and beyond, for a Diplomatic Discussion on why Brexit matters and the future of transatlantic issues. Pizza will be served!

In June 2016, British voters voted narrowly (52-48%) in a referendum to leave the European Union. It was an extraordinary development: it was first time a developed country had withdrawn from a close economic or political association with peers, and in the process raising barriers to trade with its closest neighbors. 

In his lecture, Ries will explore the origins of this historic event and consider alternative ways the last decade’s momentous events could have played out. He will also speculate on how transatlantic political and economic relationships may play out in the decade to come, with the Ukraine war, climate change, and the current trend towards economic regionalism and “friendshoring.” Drawing on his own vast political experience, Ries will provide an interesting discourse on Brexit and its implications.   

The Diplomatic Discussions series through UNC-Chapel Hill’s Diplomacy Initiative brings top foreign affairs practitioners from the U.S. and around the world to Carolina to give public talks and classroom discussions on current global issues.

RSVP on HeelLife. This event is co-sponsored by the UNC Center for European Studies.