Reflections of a European
A rereading of Stefan Zweig’s famous book (“Yesterday’s World”), written in 1941 in Brazil when he was already contemplating suicide as a result of mankind’s warring madness, conjures up a despairing view of the current geopolitical situation; it can only challenge and remind us of the tragedies that human nature is capable of creating.
It took the two episodes of a planetary war that took place between 1914 and 1945 to impose a new world order. For the next 70 years, it established the unchallenged economic and military supremacy of the United States. Relative (armed) peace prevailed during this period, maintaining an unstable balance established by the sobering effects of nuclear deterrence, the collapse of which threatened – and still threatens today – human life on earth.
Alongside the UN, a planetary organization headquartered in New York, it was in Europe, at the epicenter of the 20th century’s conflicts, that efforts were made to set up a new political architecture (leading to the European Union) to put an end to the conflicts that had plagued its history. The EU gradually encompassed most of Western Europe, before expanding to include Eastern Europe after the collapse of the USSR. At the same time, the creation of NATO in 1949 and the economic aid provided by the Marshall Plan enabled European countries to devote their resources to reconstruction and economic and social development; this left the United States with primary responsibility for Europe’s defense, creating a situation of dependence on its protector which is now being called into question.
It was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 (taken as an arbitrary date), that gradually and cumulatively created the conditions leading to the momentous epochal change we are living through. It is evidenced by the emergence of a new world order governing relations between the major powers, in which force is increasingly taking precedence over relations governed by international law and negotiation.
These changes are multi-faceted and interact with one another, fostering astounding progress together with their inescapable risks of abuse. It is very difficult to present this complex subject in a coherent, comprehensible and unbiased way to public opinion. This situation is particularly prone to creating conflicts of interest, leading to the fragmentation of society, exacerbating individualism and leading to a loss of reference points, particularly in moral terms.
Without claiming to be exhaustive, we mention just a few of these developments: the end of the unilateral supremacy of the United States and its gradual tendency to abandon its role as the world’s policeman, the rise of China as the world’s second economic power, the weakening of the role of European countries as an effective “power”, the emergence of countries seeking to influence world affairs in relations of variable geometry and often, as a matter of principle, in opposition to the so-called “Western” world; global warming, the risk of pandemics, the acceleration of natural disasters, demographics; the staggering increase in technological discoveries, space exploration and advances in health care; the relentless growth of inequalities; changing mores, the loss of credibility of democracies in favor of authoritarian regimes, growing generational gaps. The development of new forms of confrontation (hybrid, cyber, informational), etc.
While these factors do not manifest themselves everywhere, nor with the same intensity, they do engender, in a sizeable segment of the population, a feeling of anxiety and fear, when it does not simply reflect a guilty indifference due to incomprehension.
More recently, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, the resurgence of terrorist action and the possibility of the USA distancing itself from its NATO commitments has cast doubts on the ability of the EU and its Members to cope with an attempt to destabilize its unity, or even with outright aggression, despite the undeniable but insufficient progress made in recent years.
There is an urgent need to further develop the Union’s defense capability, forming a pillar capable – with or without the support of the United States – of dealing with Russian aggression and terrorist threats. This can only lead to the federalization of the Union, which is the only way to ensure the mobilization and deployment of the necessary resources. In this respect, it would be useful for the EU to equip itself with an independent and autonomous nuclear deterrent capability, to ensure the effective protection on which each of its members has the right to rely.
This fast-track evolution – which would be unrealistic to implement without the intensity of external pressures currently being exerted – has become unavoidable, and should be clearly spelled out in the political programs of candidates in the forthcoming European elections. Without the assiduous pursuit of an accelerated program of integration, the Union is doomed to paralysis, the prelude to its break-up, its irremediable impoverishment and the gradual vassalization of its Members.
Last but not least, there is the moral obligation to stand firm in defending our values. In their time, the resolve was lacking in many of the leaders on the eve of the 20th century‘s two world wars; how does this compare with the resolve of our current leaders? United in the defense of these principles, we must prepare ourselves for the immediate sacrifices required, and overcome isolationist temptations from within or pressures from without. It would be pointless, as in the past, to cling to unrealistic hopes based on the good faith of proven mafia regimes which, by their own admission, have already declared war on us and committed unspeakable crimes that cannot be overlooked. Any policy of appeasement would inevitably lead to the irreversible weakening of our civilization, despite the fact that we have infinitely greater resources at our disposal than our opponents, provided we can maintain the political will to pool them for the defense of our shared interests.
Time is running out. It is up to us to build the “World of Tomorrow” and make it possible to preserve peace. Let us make sure that those who write the “Memories of a European” who have lived through these troubled times, will abandon any idea of suicide in favor of an exhilarating hope on which to build a better world.Brussels, April 12, 2024
