Europe/Germany Has Failed (Because Ukraine Did Better Than Expected)

The Question now is can it succeed in spite of itself?

Hello All

Europe has failed. It has failed on the level of states, it has failed in the level of supranational institutions such as the EU and arguably NATO. It has been confronted by a challenge that can easily end the post-1990 European vision (and arguably the post-1945 Western European vision) and it has not only not risen to the challenge—its has divided, it has prevaricated, it has to some degree stuck its head so deeply in the sand that the only way it can emerge is if something (US politics) comes by and kicks it so firmly in the ass that it has no option but to try something.

I thought the best way to see how Europe has failed is to go back and look at the most famous test a European power set for itself in February 2022—and that was the Zeitenwende test for Germany.

The Zeitenwende and the Test for Germany

The roots of the failure go back to February 2022. When the Russian military crossed the border as part of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022—it seemed to many European states that the kick in the ass had arrived. The single most famous example of that was Chancellor Scholz of Germany’s “Zeitenwende” speech, given three days after the full-scale invasion had been launched.

You can read an English translation of the whole speech here.

Chancellor Scholz delivering the famous “Zeitenwende” speech, Feb 27, 2022