Our unquestioned association with the U.S. will cement the downfall.
I often see similarities between observations I make in the classroom and the world at large. Observing the EU and their struggle for emancipation is not an exception.
I have been teaching children who dropped out of the public school system for many years. For the most part, they were as beautiful humans as all the rest of us. They were bright. They were loving and empathic beings. Yes, they carried a bunch of baggage around. Most of us do, even if we do not admit it.
There was one factor that could ruin their future. They associated themselves with crowds that would drag them down. And they wouldn’t let these relations go. Because they desperately wanted to belong somewhere. Anywhere. Street gangs and other criminal enterprises prey on disenfranchised teens.
The EU is committing that same mistake. For decades, European countries sought the recognition of the U.S.
We waged wars on their behalf. And we never dared to question western human rights abuses. Yes, we even let them torture publishers who commit the sin of showing evidence of western war crimes. Lately, this blind allegiance has proven to have severe consequences for our future.
The EU Is Still a Beautiful Project
In many ways, the EU is a wonderful political project. There are some big flaws, sure. But we should be honest. EU citizens enjoy freedoms that can be found nowhere else. Like the freedom to travel anywhere inside the union. Or that they can live and seek out economic opportunities everywhere. Without going through lengthy vis processes. They can conduct business and trade across borders. They enjoy healthcare protection in the entire EU zone. And they have access to a bunch of economic privileges.
All this cooperation has made the prospect of war much more unlikely. At least among the EU members themselves. And honestly, for that reason alone, the Nobel Prize was deserved.
I myself benefit from it. Those freedoms enabled me to live in Denmark for 25 years. I have a danish pension fund, which I can take with me wherever I go. Any EU citizen can hire me as a tutor and buy my courses. I have friends and contacts in almost every EU country. And I can be sure that there are reasonable safety standards for products I buy. Anywhere in Europe.
There are flaws, that is correct. We didn’t think this monetary union through to the end. The trade imbalances are a killer. Tax evasion schemes are rampant. The lack of national sovereignty kills many progressive initiatives. And yes, capitalists use the existing rules to undermine welfare systems. And labor standards.
But the EU project does many things right. It could be a shining beacon for human rights. It has the potential to show a path to lasting peace. And it could choose to be a true innovator. A trailblazer for the sustainable societies we need.
Unfortunately, we associate ourselves with an empire that ruins everything we built up.
The U.S. Will Never Be a Trailblazer for a Better World
It is time to get real. In the last 2 weeks, the U.S. showed more clarity than ever about where they stand on fundamental issues. They still see women, and girls as breeding machines, as if we still live in medieval times. They have abandoned all prospects of regulating CO2 emissions. Guns and rifles are far more sacred than humans. And the fascist takeover already succeeded.
Not to mention the open supporting genocide in Yemen and other countries.
They offer no answers to any pressing issues other than to build more military bases. And send more weapons. U.S. leaders do not want a world without war. The U.S. leadership does not want a world where all humans receive respect and enjoy equal rights. Regardless of gender, sexuality, or color. They do not want a world, where people do not die from air pollution. The prospect of a world, where children can go to school and not get shot is terrifying to U.S. leadership.
We Undermine the Potential of the EU Project by Associating With the U.S.
We tell fairytales about defending human rights and fighting for good. No matter how much evidence shows that to be a false narrative. We condemn Russia and other countries for infringing on press freedoms. But it is acceptable to deliver Assange to the U.S.
We complain about the plight of refugees from Ukraine. But it is okay to support genocides in Yemen with our weapons. And when the refugees arrive, we see no problem in killing them at our borders.
We question human rights abuses in China or Russia. But we stay silent when the Americans take away bodily autonomy from women. We make big claims about fighting climate change. But we follow the U.S. in putting up sanctions that do not work and undermine every progress we made on that front. I mean, for god’s sake Germany is starting up their coal plants again.
Isn’t it better to be honest? The EU is committing suicide in its blind allegiance to the U.S. Among western countries, it is the EU that carried the brunt of the failed invasions in the middle east. We harbored the already small share of refugees that fled to the west. And we should not be proud of how we treated them along the way. The hypocrisy on display when it comes to respecting refugee conventions is sickening. In no way does it support the tale of honoring human rights.
The Only Way Forward Is for the EU to Emancipate Itself From the U.S.
The EU could be a beacon. But it is time we emancipate ourselves. The U.S. is never going to lead the path to a better world. So we should give up trying to convince them to do so. Yes, there is an inconvenient truth. Lasting peace in Europe does need to include Russia in the long term. This was always the case. The west missed the chance after the collapse of the soviet union. One day, the war and Putin’s reign will end and there may come another chance. We already know that the U.S. will not be interested in the prospect of peace.
The European Union also needs to stand firm on its commitment to sustainability. And to human progress. Even if that means showing the U.S. the door.
