ANOTHER day, another crisis. As 2015 draws to an end, it’s clear that the year has been a tough one for many countries and regions. Civil war rages in Syria, Israel-Palestinian tensions are running high, there are tensions in the South China Sea, political trouble in Brazil and potential genocide in Burundi.

There used to be a time when Europe and Europeans looked out at a world in flames and thanked their lucky stars for being born in a peaceful and stable land.

Certainly, Europe is still largely peaceful. But it is not at peace. 2015 has been Europe’s year of living dangerously, of dealing with many complicated challenges. And if current trends continue, it won’t get any better in 2016.

This is not how it was supposed to be. Until a few years ago, European economies were cruising along nicely, former communist nations joined the bloc almost seamlessly as national borders came down, allowing people to move around easily, work in an EU country of their choice — and pay with a single, common currency.

There was heady talk of building a stronger, more globally relevant Europe. Federalists believed in further integration. The voices of those opposing such a move were calm and measured.

Then, all hell appeared to break loose. Soothing talk of an ever-closer Europe was replaced by the shrill cries of discord and disunity. Today the focus in on what divides Europe, not what unites it.

First came the north-south divide — or as some would have it the ‘rich-poor’ divide — caused largely by the eurozone crisis, which buffeted mostly the southern European countries, especially Greece with enormous sovereign debt, unending bank defaults and ever-higher unemployment. As they reeled under the impact of the stiff austerity conditions imposed by Germany and other northern European nations, Greeks hit out at their EU partners for being indifferent to their suffering.

Attention has now shifted to Europe’s east-west divide, triggered mainly by the wars in the Middle East and North Africa which may be outside Europe’s borders, but which are affecting Europe in myriad, negative ways.

Refugees from the blood-soaked zones are streaming into Europe, testing Europeans’ tolerance, openness and social stability. While many Europeans have responded with warmth and generosity — Germany alone will have received over 800,000 refugees this year — the reaction from others, mainly in the eastern ex-communist countries, has been harshly hostile.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been the most vocal in opposing the arrival of Middle Eastern refugees. Hungary has erected a steel fence along the country’s southern border to keep out migrants and is resisting resettlement quotas to distribute more evenly the migrants, most of whom want to go to Germany or Sweden. Orban has filed a challenge in the European Court of Justice against an EU plan to distribute refugees among the bloc’s member states.

Equally shrill noises against refugees have come from other eastern European leaders. Poland, once seen as a model EU country in the east, now has a Eurosceptic government, which is backtracking on its commitments to the EU.

Surprisingly even European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, has warned that Europe has to stop a huge influx of migrants which he warns are not refugees from war, and pose a security threat.

One result of all this discord over the refugee surge is the expected dissolution of the EU’s much-appreciated Schengen free movement zone amid plans to reintroduce internal borders for a two-year period. The measure, if agreed, would be in response to “exceptional circumstances [which] constitute a serious threat to public policy or internal security”.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to face a storm of opposition over her brave decision to welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and elsewhere, with many predicting that her open-door policy will lead to her political demise.

In neighbouring France, all eyes are on the upcoming regional elections which the xenophobic and anti-Muslim Front National is expected to win. Marine Le Pen, leader of the FN, already had a growing following in many parts of France. The Paris massacre three weeks ago by militants of the Islamic State group is believed to have further increased her popularity.

The focus is also on so-called European “foreign fighters” joining IS and helping the group to launch terror attacks in Europe. Belgium came to a halt two weeks ago as the security forces hunted — unsuccessfully — for some of the Belgian-born terrorists involved in the Paris tragedy.

Other problems loom. British Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping to negotiate a new deal with his EU counterparts ahead of the referendum on EU membership he wants to hold next year.

Even if Britain votes to stay in the EU, the talks are expected to further widen the divide between Britain and many countries on the continent which often complain of Britain’s go-it-alone policies and inherent Euroscepticism.

It’s often been said that crises bring out the best in Europe, forcing countries to work with each other to confront common challenges. Legend also has it that whatever happens, the EU is a master at “muddling through” and surviving despite all odds.

Hopefully both statements will prove to be true this time around as well. The alternative would be terrible for Europe and the world.

The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2015