Anarchy and division dominate many European cities: right versus left, Israel versus Palestine, Ukraine versus Russia.
Join us on Telegram
, Twitter
, and VK
.
Contact us: info@strategic-culture.su
With the arrival of President Trump’s ultra-right Republican government in January 2025, the United States finally shifted from globalization and free trade to protectionism, giving rise to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. This shift is harming Europe, other nations, and, as many economists note, the U.S. itself by reducing exports, triggering economic downturns, and disrupting global financial markets. The European Union has responded by preparing countermeasures and negotiating adjustments through the Net Zero Industry Act. Thanks to negotiations between Ursula von der Leyen and Trump, Europe now faces a 15% tariff on imports to the U.S.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders may congratulate themselves for securing a 15% tariff—lower than the nearly 50% imposed on countries like India and China—but this is a significant defeat. Europe, America’s largest and most loyal partner for eighty years, must now reinvent itself in the face of this setback.
Under Trump, America seems determined to transform Europe into a far-right, MAGA-aligned continent. This ambition is unlikely to succeed because Europe is too politically diverse, with numerous parties and movements, and hosts many refugees who, once granted citizenship and voting rights, are unlikely to support right-wing extremist parties. Moreover, Europe’s historical experience with right-wing extremism, particularly during World War II, makes such a shift unpalatable.
In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’s PVV party briefly gained traction but is currently ineffective and unlikely to achieve significant influence. The party has also been co-opted by Israeli far-right Zionism—or settler Zionism, as I prefer to call it—an extremist ideology rooted in the U.S., which now dominates American politics.
In Germany, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is unlikely to gain power without a popular uprising. It’s questionable whether the AfD can even be classified as far-right, like Wilders’s PVV or Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (formerly Front National, 1972–2018). The AfD seems more like a populist party, blending elements of the former East German communist party with nationalism. In Western Europe, the middle ground of reason, diplomacy, and common sense has largely vanished, and political extremism now seems as acceptable to citizens as sensationalized news, which often amounts to little more than hype.
Europe must reinvent itself, but it is doing a poor job so far. Many politicians still cling to nostalgic visions of Europe’s “glorious” colonial and imperial past, when they were “warlords and masters” of the world. It shocks many Europeans that America, founded by Europeans, has embraced and intensified this imperialist ideology during Trump’s four-year presidency. While Democrats waged proxy wars under the guise of spreading democracy, the MAGA movement does so openly. The Republican Party itself has been partially overtaken by this movement.
After eighty years, America’s role in ensuring European security, which began with the end of World War II in 1945, has ended. Europe must now stand on its own. The U.S. has become an imperialist nation focused solely on its own interests, with ambitions to colonize new territories. The EU was unprepared for this shift and lacks a clear action plan for economic development. Frankly, Europe has pursued misguided policies and should have anticipated these changes, given the U.S.’s trajectory over the past decade.
Let’s call a spade a spade: Donald Trump is a bully and an ultra-capitalist real estate mogul, not a diplomat, peacemaker, or remotely presidential figure. He views women as commodities, a perspective I note without adopting a feminist stance, as I am not one. Europe could challenge him by highlighting his lack of historical perspective and reminding him that his grandfather was German—a European, not an American or Jewish figure. But that’s a task for Western politicians, particularly the EU’s so-called powerful women, who, unfortunately, engage in shortsighted politics.
Instead of appeasing Trump and his entourage, Europe should play his game while simultaneously pursuing peace or diplomatic talks with Russia. President Putin, arguably more democratic than EU or U.S. leaders, could be a partner in reconnecting economically while preserving sovereignty, as Russia has done. Europe, with its diversity of countries, languages, and ancient civilizations, must undergo a new enlightenment—a renaissance in cultural and economic policy. It has learned painful lessons from colonialism and imperialism, yet it now risks sliding into the final stages of imperialism through warmongering against Russia and itself.
Economically, Europe should resume buying affordable Russian gas to bolster its struggling industries, which are going bankrupt or relocating to cheaper countries. Germany, once Europe’s economic powerhouse, is particularly affected. To compete with China, India, and Russia, Europe must regain its economic strength. The U.S., like Europe, is harming itself with protectionist tariffs.
Europe must abandon impractical ideas like green energy and the agendas of elite groups like the World Economic Forum. It should stop fearmongering about artificial intelligence (AI) and instead use AI for progressive purposes, such as healthcare, rather than displacing workers. The AI hype may well prove to be a bubble that bursts.
European leaders seem consumed by war rhetoric, debates over recognizing Palestine (a reality since 1974), and doomsday scenarios designed to frighten their populations. Security must come from Europeans themselves, as NATO and the UN—Western-dominated institutions—obstruct a multipolar world. The U.S.’s veto of a recent UN resolution on Palestine, which nullified the measure and allowed violence to continue, exemplifies this. The veto power itself is problematic, and the UN risks becoming an ineffective, talk-heavy institution that contributes little to global security.
The EU’s decision to buy expensive U.S. LNG and spend €600 billion on weapons—not for its own security but to arm Ukraine in its conflict with Russia in Donbas—is misguided. Ukraine is neither a NATO nor an EU member, yet European leaders justify this as essential for Europe’s security. Weapons have never fostered peace; only diplomacy and peace agreements can, a lesson Europe should know well.
What is the way forward? As long as Europe’s elites remain in power, progress is unlikely. They are resistant to reason, and conditions may need to worsen before the public demands change. These elites will cling to power, but the unraveling of a unipolar world is unfolding before our eyes—a troubling spectacle.
Anarchy and division dominate many European cities: right versus left, Israel versus Palestine, Ukraine versus Russia. Instead of being bastions of democracy and safety, streets are plagued by violence, stabbings, and murders linked to overcrowded asylum centers. Farmers are being bought out, and policies addressing nitrogen emissions, particularly in the Netherlands, are halting housing construction, leaving people homeless. Madness reigns, but for how long? Will it escalate further?
