The Battle for Europa
The road to global hegemony goes through Europe.
“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.”
—Nikos Kazantzakis
Much like the depiction of calm Europa being abducted by Zeus in the form of a steadfast bull, today’s Europa has been abducted by “external forces” — and we don’t know where they are taking her.
The first major crisis for the EU was the financial crisis of 2008. It was solved (i.e. patched) by unconventional monetary policy, bank bailouts and some kicking the can down the road.
The broken system was seemingly put back together, and things came back from the brink, until the European Debt Crisis kicked off via Greece in late 2009.
This crisis was the first opportunity for the Germans to show the world their stuff, post-fall of the Berlin Wall, after decades of laying low and focusing on national rebuilding.
Sadly for Europe, what the Germans had to show was very ugly. Chancellor Angela Merkel approached EU-wide politics as an extension of German domestic politics, and rolled out the punches in order to garner more support at home.
The narrative was, “Why should lazy Greeks be bailed out with the money of the hardworking German taxpayer?”. This one-sided view prolonged and deepened the crisis, ultimately putting the totality of the union at risk.
Merkel is long gone but the crises the EU is faced with today are of a much higher magnitude — extending into the realms of existence and identity.
The pandemic of 2020 and the Russian invasion into Ukraine of 2022 have uncovered further shortcomings.
Is Europe a sovereign bloc with strategic autonomy and self determination?
That was the open secret question plaguing the EU, but it’s no longer a secret. The Emanuel Macron speech of April 2024 gave credence to a new reality within the structures of the Union— that it is fighting for its life.
“A voluntary association of equals turned into an involuntary association of un-equals.”
—George Soros
A Self-Destructive Direction
The EU went from having an unfair but acceptable hegemon (Merkel) and a semi-sustainable direction — to having NO hegemon and a self-destructive direction.