Ominous

Fistful of Euros is a several times daily visit for me these days....the team over there is simply astounding (not to mention the beautiful banner titles pictures they throw up!).

A Fistful of Euros: France Suspends Schengen:

French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that in the light of what has happened in London France is reintroducing European Union border controls. There is a clause within the Schengen Agreement which allows for controls to be reinstated and Sarkozy said that this had been activated by France. The decision is described as temporary. Such suspensions have occured in the past for sporting events (or in the case of Spain for EU summits), but this idea of ’temporary’ might be a little longer."

After spending 6 months in the UK with two Russians, an Indian, and a Chinese citizen, I'm well aware of how complex movement for non-Schengen covered citizens is. This is HUGE if it's being suspended and will counteract one of the biggest positive impacts of the EU--the free movement of currencies is important (the Euro), but the free movement of people/labor is at least as big, allowing for cross-border education and employment at levels approaching the seamlessness of the USA. What kind of affect with a "temporary" suspension of this have on the EU economy and the future prospects of the EU? France has not exactly been happy with the EU of late--the resounding "non" for the Constitution is only one indicator. I feel France has always been involved more for the ability to achieve a larger France than a truly pan-European vision....

Anyway, my thoughts run along a few lines, essentially:
1) Is this the start of the dissolution of the EU? (I doubt it, although I would not be surprised at a prolonged stagnation period, where no further real integration happens for some time).
2) Does this represent a victory for terrorism in the sense that the politics of fear are promoting isolationism?
3) What about France's heavy Islamic population, much of which is disaffected and alienated due to the politics of LePen (think I got the name right, the French rightist party's leader....even though they've faded a bit in to the background over the recent time frame). I believe it stands somewhere around 20% of the total population.... and actions like banning head scarves and other cultural heritage items doesn't exactly make people happy.... Closing the borders doesn't prevent an internal attack.