In the 20th century, America saved Europe from dictatorships.
Will the 21st century see the opposite happen?
Donald Trump's United States is surrendering to quasi-religious mercantilism. It is aggressive on the international stage and seeks domination. Despite the statements of the current administration, it continues to bomb everywhere and anywhere in pursuit of its interests.
At home, the practice of checks and balances that made America a model of democracy is being disavowed. Congress and the Supreme Court are both under the thumb of an erratic executive which fraternises with the worst dictators because it believes in the virility of strong powers that take precedence over others.
America no longer embodies the freedom and progress that made it successful and that once enlightened the world. It may have the strongest military force, but it now only attracts fear, which is worse than simple disaffection.
Yet there are citizens within its borders who want a developed democratic society, organised by law, worthy of an advanced civilisation that gives pride of place to culture, without which humanity would lack the essence that is so vital to its condition. Can this part of America rise up and prevent the country from sinking into a state of brutality that can only lead to the most dramatic conflicts?
This is where Europe is crucial to America, as it is to the whole world.
We are constantly being pushed to focus on Europe's weakness, when in fact it often a source of nothing but wisdom.
Having finally learned from its turbulent history – one of the longest in living memory – it has resolved to believe in the virtues of law, the demands of equality, institutions that regulate the appetites of nations, rationality that is so much more human than the irrational, opting for peace rather than eternal war.
Could we not embody a lifeline, an unlikely ally for all those seeking to free themselves of nationalist excesses, revisionist hopes and expansionist impulses?
If Europe embraces its achievements and the messages it conveys with pride — for example the successful regulation of the extraordinary advances made in artificial intelligence and biology before the latter devour us completely, it will very quickly emerge as a haven where humankind can shelter from the misfortunes it creates. The example of Europe’s standoff with the digital giants is a perfect illustration of this. This is why it cannot surrender!
The 21st century could then be Europe's time. An era in which Europeans can live freely, be respected and in peace in a society organised first and foremost around the human person, as opposed to ideologies, brute force and irrationality.
We can be an example for a world that can be saved from its eternal failings. And perhaps an opportunity for Americans who reject the current trend, so that they can reconnect with Europeans, from whom, after all, they are in part descended.
These are a few reasons for hope...
Happy New Year!
