When Ursula von der Leyen assumed the presidency of the European Commission four years ago, she promised Europe would be a geopolitical powerhouse. And, as members of the European Union united to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the continent certainly did seem a solid pillar of a global order menaced by autocracies in Russia and China — not to mention other enemies. French President Emmanuel Macron soon started to speak of Europe’s “strategic autonomy,” in part as a hedge against Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024.

But Russia has survived its war better than expected. Squabbling European and US leaders threaten crucial aid to Ukraine. Trump’s fortunes are on the rise. And Europe now looks less like a democratic bulwark against Trumpist populism than a likely prelude to it.

QOSHE - Hoping for Peace in Gaza? Don’t Look to Europe - Pankaj Mishra
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Hoping for Peace in Gaza? Don’t Look to Europe

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06.12.2023

When Ursula von der Leyen assumed the presidency of the European Commission four years ago, she promised Europe would be a geopolitical powerhouse. And, as members of the European Union united to oppose........

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