I imagine that most thinking people in Europe understand that the European Union is the only hope for its nations to withstand the coming storms. And when we speak of a unified Europe, we mean the one that developed after World War II, a beacon of democracy, justice and prosperity in an ever more difficult and unjust world.
And yet, this Europe is adrift. Trumpets are not blaring, newspapers and news sites don’t cry out for citizens to wake up, to appraise the dangers, to examine their options, to support forces that want a strong Europe, a Europe united and ready. And yet, instead of aiming for greater awareness, instead of mobilizing their forces, the member-states are carrying on as if we are not living in the age of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as if this is not Trump’s second presidency, as if the global system of governance has not been shaken, as if the climate crisis is not worsening rapidly.
While Europeans and all others who place their hopes in democracy are anxious to see a strong policy in defense of Europe’s principles, forces opposed to unity grow stronger in countries that have always determined the continent’s fate. Polls suggest Marine Le Pen could be elected president of France.
