To adapt to the new times, not only bold dots on the horizon are needed, but also standards and qualities like trust, decisiveness, truthfulness, resilience, integrity and vigilance.
Time to put shoulders to the wheel, to strengthen international cooperation, and to make sacrifices if necessary.
The EU's and NATO's new leadership, UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, European Political Community, Brussels Institute for Geopolitics and the implementation of the strategic agenda 2024-2029 with its political priorities, must protect us against instability and insecurity.
But efforts are also required of us. We must participate in constructive agendas and undertake more supportive actions, allow ourselves more tolerance, and continue to develop through culture and philosophy.
Thinking about the post-Merkel slow motion frenzy at the start of the Ukrainian war, the one single common factor which distinguishes autocracies over democracies as we know them is the ability to be flexible and adapt to rapid change.
The principle value of honest dialogue ensures finding and achieving common purpose to respond collectively which tends to be in stark contrast to the way dictators operate.
Yes we live is messy political landscapes, however their changing realities give me more hope than gloom.
Europe is at a crossroads, take the easy road and abandon Ukraine and legitimise Putins’ aggression? Then live with the Russian threat of ‘where next?’. I hope not…..
JD Vance is right about a lazy Europe, relying on the US to protect it. The continent needs to rearm and fully support Ukraine, take responsibility for its own defence and play a full part in NATO.
The next 12 months will see which route we choose….
Action & results will undermine the power of the hard right. Prosperity improves as hope increases. The economy, the climate crisis, Ukraine, and the millions of migrants seeking safe shelter are the main challenges facing our democracies. Seemingly intractable problems make authoritarian regimes more attractive. Global problems need global solutions and a more equitable distribution of the burden. Little has been done collectively to address the misery that drives migration. The status quo is a mess. It's also a nightmare for liberal governments. Doing the right thing as a collective can inspire hope and generosity in a population. People want to do the noble thing, to think of themselves as good & righteous. But they have no idea what to do about all the suffering at their borders. Helplessness makes us feel angry. We want a humane solution but if one cannot be found, we just want the problem to disappear so it doesn't remind us how unfair the world is. A strong democracy requires an engaged and caring population, willing to work together for the collective good. We need to see a way forward or we'll all hide behind our borders and choose the leader who makes us feel safe and tells us we don't have to care, we're great, and that's why they want to steal what is ours.
Where is the impetus for change going to come from? Where is the centre of gravity? The EU has an ambitious leader in von der Leyen, but she doesn't have the benefit of national hard power. Orban throws a spanner into the works in both the EU and NATO, and the latter has the issue of over-reliance on the Americans, and the fact that military power cannot solve every problem facing Europe. On the national stage, of the big three: Britain is out of the EU, France is more unstable thanks to the recent election, and Germany looks rudderless and unwilling to provide concrete leadership. The EPC is a great marshalling opportunity, but fundamentally it is a talking shop above all else.
I desperately want Europe to succeed, and of course any response will need to be coordinated through multiple institutions, but I can't see the driving energy or impetus across the board to meet the challenges.
To adapt to the new times, not only bold dots on the horizon are needed, but also standards and qualities like trust, decisiveness, truthfulness, resilience, integrity and vigilance.
Time to put shoulders to the wheel, to strengthen international cooperation, and to make sacrifices if necessary.
The EU's and NATO's new leadership, UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, European Political Community, Brussels Institute for Geopolitics and the implementation of the strategic agenda 2024-2029 with its political priorities, must protect us against instability and insecurity.
But efforts are also required of us. We must participate in constructive agendas and undertake more supportive actions, allow ourselves more tolerance, and continue to develop through culture and philosophy.
Thinking about the post-Merkel slow motion frenzy at the start of the Ukrainian war, the one single common factor which distinguishes autocracies over democracies as we know them is the ability to be flexible and adapt to rapid change.
The principle value of honest dialogue ensures finding and achieving common purpose to respond collectively which tends to be in stark contrast to the way dictators operate.
Yes we live is messy political landscapes, however their changing realities give me more hope than gloom.
Europe is at a crossroads, take the easy road and abandon Ukraine and legitimise Putins’ aggression? Then live with the Russian threat of ‘where next?’. I hope not…..
JD Vance is right about a lazy Europe, relying on the US to protect it. The continent needs to rearm and fully support Ukraine, take responsibility for its own defence and play a full part in NATO.
The next 12 months will see which route we choose….
Many excellent points, but Trump will not win.
Action & results will undermine the power of the hard right. Prosperity improves as hope increases. The economy, the climate crisis, Ukraine, and the millions of migrants seeking safe shelter are the main challenges facing our democracies. Seemingly intractable problems make authoritarian regimes more attractive. Global problems need global solutions and a more equitable distribution of the burden. Little has been done collectively to address the misery that drives migration. The status quo is a mess. It's also a nightmare for liberal governments. Doing the right thing as a collective can inspire hope and generosity in a population. People want to do the noble thing, to think of themselves as good & righteous. But they have no idea what to do about all the suffering at their borders. Helplessness makes us feel angry. We want a humane solution but if one cannot be found, we just want the problem to disappear so it doesn't remind us how unfair the world is. A strong democracy requires an engaged and caring population, willing to work together for the collective good. We need to see a way forward or we'll all hide behind our borders and choose the leader who makes us feel safe and tells us we don't have to care, we're great, and that's why they want to steal what is ours.
Where is the impetus for change going to come from? Where is the centre of gravity? The EU has an ambitious leader in von der Leyen, but she doesn't have the benefit of national hard power. Orban throws a spanner into the works in both the EU and NATO, and the latter has the issue of over-reliance on the Americans, and the fact that military power cannot solve every problem facing Europe. On the national stage, of the big three: Britain is out of the EU, France is more unstable thanks to the recent election, and Germany looks rudderless and unwilling to provide concrete leadership. The EPC is a great marshalling opportunity, but fundamentally it is a talking shop above all else.
I desperately want Europe to succeed, and of course any response will need to be coordinated through multiple institutions, but I can't see the driving energy or impetus across the board to meet the challenges.
Assuming Europe can or will not unite! What will be the immediate and longer term consequences, you think?