I think there are global problems Angie, not only European.
The financial chaos began with the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble, the sub prime lending situation, which, because money had also been borrowed from outside the US, damaged financial institutions globally.
As for the rest it seems to be a time of intensive change, both in thinking and action, from the Arab Spring to a revaluation of the status quo in Europe, and even the US is not immune.
It is certainly making life more than a little complicated at the moment, and one can only hope that we have all learned enough from past experience to ensure the changes are positive.
Francine A. McKenna - German Culture Editor
German Culture Site -
German Culture Facebook Avatar: HOHENZOLLERNBRÃœCKE Cologne with CATHEDRAL and LUDWIG MUSEUM. The Bridge a symbol of how Germany was rebuilt after WWII, it was left in ruins, the Cathedral with roots in the 13th century represents the country's history, Museum of Modern Art the present day.