The formation and breakups of international strcutures take place in desperate times. Brexit is one such moment that we have been witnessing since 2016. It seems that Brexit has reached in the final stages as a vote on the deal for divorce between the UK and the European Union (EU) is scheduled for January 15 in the British parliament. But it can also be unfolding of a new process that may lead to a ‘no deal’ option. British Prime Minister Theresa May has been through tough negotiations with leaders of the EU. Tempers were so strained in these negotiations that at one point, she had to say that “no deal is better than a bad deal”. After achieving what she can from the 28-nation EU, she is prepared to present it before the UK parliament for approval. Assessing that she might not see the deal sail through the parliament, May had postponed the vote but now it appears that voting will be held on January 15. The confirmation has once again generated a heated debate on Brexit in global media. Though May has told Britons that they cannot get a better deal from EU, May’s own Conservative Party believes that she has failed to get what the UK deserves. So they put her leadership to vote before she could present her Brexit package to the Parliament. Lucikly, she won the vote of confidence. May’s rival Labour Party wants the UK to remain in the EU or have another Brexit deal but they intend to do it after forming their own government. Hence, the odds are stacked against the deal during vote because some MPs believe that the UK should leave the EU without any deal and some think that Brexit should not take place altogether. The deal basically means how the UK will be eased out of the EU. After being engaged in bloody battles in the World War II, the European nations mounted a rebuilding drive and formed EU. It was a bold experiment but now seems to under immense stress. Freedom of movement within the EU led to fears of streets flooded by outsiders in the UK. Older generation was more afraid of outsiders – refugees and economic migrants – than the younger generation when it came to referendum for Brexit. The older generation believed that if the UK borders were guarded, refugees will not be able to land in their country from other EU member states. Now that the flow of refugees has gone down drastically, the British are concerned to ensure that flow of money should remain as it has always been. This line of reasoning does not go down well with the EU leaders who have been dealing with the British interests during the hard talks on the Brexit deal. * Published in Daily Times, January 12th 2019.