A Brexit could lead other European countries to break from the EU

Britain will vote on whether or not to leave the European Union later this week. — (Image credit: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Nervous European diplomats warn in the days ahead of the Brexit vote that a British exit from the European Union could encourage other nations to follow suit. As the EU remains unpopular across much of Europe and right-wing, Euro-skeptic parties surge in the polls, nations like France, Denmark, and the Netherlands are already eyeing the possibility of Frexits, Dexits, and Nexits:

As "leave" started to beat "remain" in British opinion polls in recent weeks, EU diplomats say that their sense of complacency was replaced by deep nervousness. Already, pressure to hold EU referendums is leaping across the English Channel toward the rest of Europe. An Ipsos Mori poll last month found that 55 percent of French voters and 58 percent of Italian voters wanted plebiscites of their own. [The Washington Post]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.