The ACG and the University of Chicago International House are hosting a discussion with Dr. Isaac Stanley-Becker on “The History Behind Today’s Crisis at Europe’s Borders” on February 10.
The History Behind Today’s Crisis at Europe’s Borders
February 10 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm EST
Europe is a place of free movement among nations – or is it? The Schengen Area – which was established in 1985 and today encompasses 29 European countries – allows people, goods, and capital to cross borders without restraint. Schengen transformed European life, advancing both a democratic project of transnational citizenship and a neoliberal project of international free trade. But, the right of free movement always excluded non-Europeans, especially migrants of color from former colonies of the Schengen states. In “Europe without Borders,” Dr. Isaac Stanley-Becker explores the contested creation of free movement in Schengen, from treatymaking at European summits and disputes in international courts to the street protests of undocumented immigrants who claimed free movement as a human right.
Dr. Isaac Stanley-Becker is a Washington Post staff writer focusing on intelligence and national security. He has been an investigative reporter on the national staff and reported from across Europe. He earned his PhD in history from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes scholar. He was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2024 for “American Icon,” a series exploring the role of the AR-15 in American life. His book “Europe without Border” was published January 2025. Dr. Stanley-Becker was a 2024 ACG Young Leader.