Newswise — WHO: American University experts WHAT: Discussion and analysis of issues related to the EU referendum in the United Kingdom, its impact on U.S. foreign policy, political reaction in the U.S., and more.WHEN: June 22, 2016 – ongoingWHERE: In-studio, on campus, via email or via telephoneBackground: On Thursday, June 23, British voters will decide whether their country should leave the European Union. Opinion polls demonstrate that British voters are sharply divided. If the country chooses to leave the EU, what will be the consequences of a “Brexit”? How will it impact U.S. foreign policy and trade relations between the U.S. and Europe? American University experts are available to comment on these and other questions related to this important issue.

The following professors are available to comment on topics related to Foreign Affairs, U.S. Foreign Policy, and the European Union:

Michelle Egan is a Jean Monnet Professor in the School of International Service and Global Europe Fellow at the Wilson Center, a non-partisan think-tank in Washington, DC. She is the author of the award-winning book Single Markets: Economic Integration in Europe and the United States as well as other books and articles covering European integration, ASEAN, transatlantic relations, and trade politics. Egan is the past Chair of the European Union Studies Association (EUSA) the largest EU studies association that brings together academics and policymakers. Egan is currently writing a book that focuses on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the trade agreement currently under negotiation between the U.S. and the European Union. She is available to comment on issues that include European foreign policy, EU affairs, British politics, trade, and transatlantic relations.

Prof. Egan said: “Markets are anxiously looking at the vote on June 23 as the pound has dropped, and investment has slowed in Britain. There will be after effects, especially within the Conservative party that has seen sharp divisions during this campaign, regardless of the vote. European leaders will be anxious to avoid further instability in the EU if Britain votes to leave, and will likely provide strong sentiments about the withdrawal process, and British access to the single market in future.”

James Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service, served on the National Security Council Staff and at the State Department during the Clinton administration. Goldgeier is the author of a Council on Foreign Relations Special Report on The Future of NATO. His areas of expertise include U.S. national security policy, U.S.-Europe-Russia relations, and NATO.

Prof. Goldgeier said: "A British vote to leave is not just about Britain and the European Union. Britain's departure from the EU would diminish its stature in Europe and globally and would therefore have profoundly negative effects for U.S. foreign policy."

Laura Beers, associate professor of history, researches modern Britain and the ways in which politics simultaneously influences and is shaped by cultural and social life, and the role of the mass media. Beers’s second book, to be published soon, is a biography of the British socialist, feminist and international activist Ellen Wilkinson. The biography, Red Ellen: The Life of Ellen Wilkinson, Socialist, Feminist, Internationalist, explores the world of radical social activism in the early twentieth century in Britain and internationally, through the lens of Britain’s second female cabinet minister, the Labour MP Ellen Wilkinson. Her first book, Your Britain: Media and the Making of the Labour Party was published by Harvard University Press.

Bill Davies is associate professor in the department of Justice, Law and Criminology at the School of Public Affairs. Prof. Davies studies the European Union legal system. Dr. Davies is the author of "Resisting the European Court of Justice: Germany's Confrontation with EU Law". He is the co-editor of "EU Law Stories: Critical and Contextual Histories of European Jurisprudence", a book that is forthcoming this year. Prof. Davies can discuss issues related to EU politics and law, the European Court of Justice, the history of European integration, British and German current affairs.

Michael Schroeder, professor in the School of International Service, is director of the school’s Global Governance, Politics, and Security Master’s Program. His research focuses on political leadership and global governance and international organizations. Schroeder is currently working on a book investigating why some executive heads of international organizations are viewed as more successful leaders than others and the strategies these leaders employ to help their organization adapt to changes in world politics.

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