Until the last four years, the view of Europe has been as an economic union. That is now changing and we can start to think of Europe as a political union. And as a political union, it joins China and the United States of America as one of the three most powerful political entities in the world.
It used to be that as an economic union, the Brits provided the humour, the Germans supplied the industrial and organizational muscle and the French provided the ideas. That has all changed now as the Brits write themselves out of any future importance and German Chancellor Angela Merkel retires. It is now the occupant of the Elysée Palace in Paris who can write Europe’s future.
And he has to. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is crumbling. American leadership is erratic and unreliable. American allies in the Middle East have been stabbed in the back by America’s unthinking brutality. The Chinese want nothing to do with the American leadership while Russia’s Putin considers Trump an ally. And the despots of Turkey and North Korea sing songs of praise for their friend Donald Trump.
It is almost 2000 years since Charlemagne brought order and cohesion to Europe. It is easier this time. No wars are necessary. Logic and business are the only arguments. And the French president builds his case well.
You can read his arguments in the recent feature by The Economist. He says that Europe stands at the precipice and must stand together. With or without the Brits in tow, Europe has to start to think as a single political entity. It has to unify its armies—and probably save money in the process. It needs to understand the team spirit.
Many believe Macron has bitten off too much in trying to bring Europe together. He is a risk taker. He would not be where he is today, were he not. I am sure he understands that.
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Copyright 2019 © Peter Lowry
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