This Re-election of French President Emmanuel Macronand the defeat of the far right Sea LePen It presents a new opportunity to destroy Europe. the causes of discontent feeding the far right, Strengthening democracy within the European Union (EU) to reduce the risk of authoritarian setbacks and to assert its strategic dominance as a major power with full military capability is an imperative challenge for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and future political uncertainties for the United States.
The EU was recognized as a major civilian power, ‘soft power’ A model for the postmodern world that emerged at the end of the Cold War and, as Robert Cooper theorized, is instead of the historical balance of power theoretically governed by International Law. But China’s emergence as a superpower, Russia’s decision to use military force to defend its interests, and a group of regional powers that do not hesitate to resort to repression, military intervention, and even the use of extremist forces to expand their influence (Turkey, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States). Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, India, North Korea) show that the unstable international system depends on this balance of power.
More than just International Law, in the first decades of the post-Cold War West, US rules prevailed in the name of democracy and the West, the “unipolar moment” theorized by Charles Krauthammer and justified by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The exceptionalism of the United States as an “indispensable nation”
UN and international law
This war in ukraine It proves the helplessness of International Law and the UN. At this juncture, Europe finds itself in a great power, with strategic dominance and ‘hard power’ it determines its own destiny and protects the safety and well-being of its citizens. If not, it just suffers from the reality of being a region where other powers are making history. Europe cannot accept US military protection after the actions of previous president Donald Trump and The anti-democratic tendencies of the Republican Party.EU countries spend four times more on defense each year than Russia ($257 billion versus $65.9 billion in 2021), but continue to rely on the United States, through NATO, for their security. The 1999 Helsinki Europe summit agreement to create a European operational military force of 50,000-60,000 soldiers never materialized. Macron sought to promote a geopolitical EU in his 2017 Sorbonne speech. But the German Chancellor Angela Merkel he was only concerned with austerity and status quo. The war in Ukraine and the new German government can facilitate this breakthrough that the EU needs.
France, EU’s largest military power, With its nuclear arsenal and permanent member of the UN Security Council, it is the best place to promote this transformation. However, Macron also melody with Berlin, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland need complicity, because they will have to overcome the resistance of Poland and the Baltic, relying only on the USA and NATO. As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 250 personalities, including Javier Solana (first head of European diplomacy), issued a manifesto in favor of transforming the EU into a federal Europe, a “United States of Europe”. ”.
Geopolitics should not make us forget the other equally urgent internal challenges of the EU. The most pressing problem is popular discontent accumulated by social inequality, loss of purchasing power, cost of housing, job insecurity, low wages, tax injustice, and deterioration of public services (health, education, transport, social protection). For example, according to Eurostat, workers with incomes below the poverty line account for 11.8% of the total in Spain, 10.8% in Italy, 10.6% in Germany and 7.5% in France. represents the .
Another very serious problem is the discrediting of national political parties and institutions. The European Commission’s Eurobarometer this April shows that 75% of Europeans distrust their country’s political parties, compared to 86% in Spain, 87% in France, 81% in Italy and 58% in Germany. 60% of Europeans also do not trust their national government, and 58% do not trust their parliaments (71% in Spain).
Source: Informacion
