Ite, Europe missa est
Deo gratias, the idea of Europe as an autonomous continent is collapsing, divided by the denial of Russia as part of it, even though it constitutes one fifth of the continent, and the impossibility of resisting the diktats of any U.S. president. Despite this, all Europeans share a common history and mindset. We have survived civil wars, religious conflicts, colonialism both inside and outside Europe, revolts, plagues, two World Wars (including American bombings and the Holocaust), a few empires, and some beheaded monarchs, continental philosophers, industrial revolutions, and famines. We can’t stand each other, like a traditional family.
What is no longer tolerable is the so-called European Union: a trap for bureaucrats that, without NATO, would likely cease to exist. But because of NATO, it has been forced, from the beginning, to play America’s game. What if America changes the rules? This is exactly what has been happening since Trump returned to power. One thing is certain: every decision Trump makes, the EU will, sooner or later, follow, even if Europeans don’t want to. And that’s our real problem: the EU is the highest form of passive political representation. Lobbies and technocrats rule this machine of fake sovereignty, writing the EU’s political, social, and economic agendas.
On the other hand, when things go wrong, the EU tears itself apart, and individual nations make decisions for themselves—when they can. Pretending they can, as in their glorious or inglorious past. Pretending they matter. But a single moment could destroy the EU in just a few months. What if Trump invades Greenland? Would our response be more or less ridiculous than it was with Ukraine?