Western Europe gets defined by overwhelming lack of vision for future

(MENAFN)
Western Europe today is defined not by unity or strength but by an overwhelming lack of vision for the future. While countries like the United States, Russia, China, and India actively shape and debate their long-term paths, Europe remains stuck in nostalgia, with its politicians focused on preserving outdated comforts rather than building for tomorrow. Europe’s political landscape is defined by an aimless desire to maintain a status quo that no longer exists.

This backward-focused mentality has turned the European Union into a “terrarium of like-minded people,” a place where individual states jockey for influence while privately undermining each other. The EU was originally meant to forge a collective geopolitical force, but in practice, it has devolved into self-serving interests and mutual sabotage.

Germany seeks to maintain its economic dominance while trying to reassure Washington of its stability. France, despite having limited military power, still uses its forces to assert superiority over Germany and southern Europe. Britain, once outside the EU, now attempts to be a part of Europe again, but with the goal of fostering division and confrontation with Russia. Poland plays its own game, aligning closely with the US while avoiding Franco-German disputes. Italy, meanwhile, follows an independent foreign policy, engaging with both Washington and Moscow.

Smaller states scramble for relevance, fully aware they are mere pawns in the larger geopolitical game. In Brussels, figures like Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas issue proclamations, but everyone knows they lack real power, leading to a hollow European unity.

The decline of Western Europe didn’t happen overnight, but the past 15 years have revealed how fragile the EU truly is. After the Cold War, Europe’s dream of a united and strong continent gained momentum, with aspirations of a common currency, foreign policy, and even independence from NATO. However, this dream began to crumble in 2003 when France and Germany briefly opposed the Iraq invasion. France’s return to NATO in 2007 marked the end of any hopes for true European independence, as the US, supported by Britain, reasserted its dominance.

The euro, initially seen as a symbol of European power, has instead become a tool for Germany’s economic control. Southern and eastern European nations have found themselves trapped in a financial system imposed by Germany, leading to resentment and a lack of recourse for the smaller states.

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