How the war in Ukraine and conflicts in West Asia revealed Europe’s weakness?
In an article, the German Radio website assessed Europe as weak and helpless in the conflicts of West Asia and without consensus and unity and wrote: Gregor Peter Schmitz, one of the western journalists and experts, says that Europe is not so bad in crises – except When it comes to foreign and security policy. This issue was shown by the conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East.
This article continues: Europe becomes stronger through crises. Anyone who talks to experienced European politicians who once again complain about the crisis in the EU will quickly hear this. Then the great historical arc is quickly drawn by them: every dispute over referendums, constitutional changes, or new members will eventually bring Europe closer together. According to European veterans, the global economic crisis, especially the Euro crisis, paved the way for new financial monitoring tools, and the coronavirus crisis increased the power of the Commission, even Brexit was ultimately a European success story and showed that the Union cannot be divided. Still, no one has copied this step and the British are not very happy with this decision.
While Europe looked surprisingly united shortly after the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the familiar disunity and disunity of foreign policy has long since become a part of everyday life there again. has been In the shadow of this lack of unity, the Europeans are not even able to deliver the ammunition they promised for a long time to Ukraine. It was already clear that some Eastern European countries no longer want to be Ukraine’s partners.
On the other hand, in the Middle East, Europeans cannot even agree on a common line. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, faced strong headwinds in her early support for Israel, and when it came to the UN resolution on the West Asian conflict, the European side expressed everything from approval to abstention and rejection. And there were different opinions.
The following seems to still apply in Europe: when it comes to national interests, each national government is closer to itself, even after European speeches about the need for a common European army, common arms purchases, and a European diplomatic service. Or even a permanent EU seat on the UN Security Council.
This lack of European unity is not only shameful but also very dangerous. Especially since the “turning point” has long been declared and the “worthiness of the war” is again being openly discussed.
It is further stated: We live in a world that has become multi-polar for a long time. The world’s former policeman (the United States of America) no longer wants to play this role, and this is evident in the debate over ending aid to Ukraine in the hopelessly divided US Congress. But the Americans can no longer play it because they have long become a powerful opponent in China, and therefore there is a growing tendency in Washington to leave the “European” conflicts to the Europeans.
This situation is often alarming and difficult enough under Joe Biden, the democratic president of the United States – who is still equipped with real interest and knowledge about Ukraine, Europe, and Germany. But what if Trump returns to the White House openly threatening to dissolve NATO and end US aid to Ukraine within 24 hours?
In Berlin, those in power refuse to even think about this scenario, despite the increasingly alarming number of opinion polls. They hope that Biden will win again. France, which has always wanted to break free from Washington, is thinking about the future and wants to discuss a new European security strategy. But to really take this issue seriously, Europe must first act as one. Unfortunately, despite the obvious necessity, there is currently no sign of this happening.