Any close observer of global events can tell you that, in some ways, geopolitics is uncannily similar to geology. Just as the rapid shifts in the Earth's tectonic plates give way to earthquakes that can shake countries and regions to their core, so do the underlying forces of international affairs send deep tremors across corners of the globe from time to time.
Perhaps no region knows this better than Europe, which has taken up the difficult task of determining what its future will look like. Many citizens within the European Union are unhappy with Brussels' leadership, while many more are dissatisfied with the political agendas of individual member states. As the Continent's leaders try to forge a path forward, this discontent will doubtless be on their minds as they grapple with the thorny issues of austerity, defense and illegal immigration that must be settled carefully if the bloc is to survive....
