May 21, 2025
With the fading U.S. global leadership under Donald Trump, Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, and growing populism at home, Europe faces a stark choice: step up or fall into irrelevance. Speaking with the Kyiv Independent on May 16, British historian Timothy Garton Ash paints a picture of a West in transition. Europe is facing its deepest crisis since 1945 – but therein lies an opportunity, he says. Facing down the Russian threat and galvanizing liberal powers around the world will test the viability of liberal democracy in an increasingly multipolar era, according to the Oxford professor.
I agree. The damage has been done. Trump and his fellow gangsters have shown this entire world that the US cannot be trusted again, like it was trusted before. This gang has also shown that the US could even side with the most evil trash country this world has seen since Nazi Germany and Stalin’s SU and not even break a sweat.
Also true, Europe has an opportunity to emerge from this much stronger, more independent, and mature. It all depends on the leaders of three or four nations to do what must be done. Either that, or the continent is lost. Europe cannot and should not depend on the gangster administration anymore.
Europe needs to concentrate now on action, not meaningless hot air meetings. Even if it means buying US weapons for the time being, until they can produce everything they need.
Europe is a powerful continent. You’d figure they can figure it all out quickly and decisively. We’ll see.