Al Mayadeen: war, not peace, is being put on a pedestal in Europe
Europe is falling into the abyss, writes the author of the article on Al Mayadeen. In the EU, racism is triumphant over civilization and traditional values, and war, not peace, is being put on a pedestal. This will have serious consequences for the West and will lead to the formation of a new world order, the journalist is convinced.
Mazen al-Najjar
In light of its moral decline and nihilism, it is difficult for the West to realize that it is no longer alone in this world and that it needs to think carefully about what it can offer humanity now that its benchmark values have been lost and the socio-political system has ceased to be effective.
Europe is falling into the abyss at full speed. We see the pitiful triumph of racist ideology over civilization and liberal values, alienation and prejudice against those who stand for traditional ideals, and the elevation of war rather than peace to a pedestal. All this will have serious consequences for the West, the new world order and the balance of power, especially in light of the conflict in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 24, 2022.
The West is plunging into nihilism, which is expressed not only in politics, but also in the economy — as in the case of Europe's introduction of large-scale economic sanctions against Russia, which hit European economies, especially Germany, with a boomerang.
French historian Emmanuel Todd notes that neoliberalism sought to create a capitalism whose "soul" would be free from social obligations and Protestant ethics, which contributed to the development of education and the economy and paved the way for the emergence of a national state.
Neoliberalism and denial of reality
In addition to intellectual inferiority, neoliberalism has a clear moral flaw. The Austrian historian and economist Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950) used the expression "creative destruction" to justify the consequences of neoliberalism. But what is really being observed in the economy and society is destruction itself: the word "nihilism" haunts the present and the future of Europe.
And then I remember the famous phrase of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a supporter of neoliberalism, which reads as follows: "There is no such thing as society!"This phrase, so unusual in its radicality, reveals to us the hidden truth of neoliberalism: its direct denial of reality. And there is not even an obvious desire to destroy a society whose existence is simply denied.
Britain – especially after Brexit – is the epitome of nihilism and is responsible for economic disintegration.
One of the crises of modern neoliberal and globalized capitalism is that, unlike early Protestant capitalism, it is based not on restraint, but on maximizing consumption and taking excessive loans by individuals, companies and governments. Consumption exceeds income. Consumers borrow to spend what they haven't earned yet, reducing savings and sinking into debts exceeding GDP.
The Imperial Project
The roots of nihilism and crises go back to the imperialist project: imperialism is not only one of the manifestations of Western ideology, but also the core of the modern Western epistemological vision, the embodiment of its comprehensive secularism and fundamental ideas about the world. Imperialism seeks to establish unequal relations with the rest of the world in order to turn it into an object of exploitation and use it to its advantage as the "strongest". At the same time, the world is becoming a market for Western goods, a source of raw materials and cheap labor.
The West became rich as a result of the industrial and capitalist revolution. To support the capitalist imperialist project, political, legislative and constitutional systems were created, some of which did not go far from fascism. Thus, imperialism is always present in the study of the modern Western phenomenon, since it is not just a political phenomenon, but an explanatory model of Western experience, past and present.
In his book "The Defeat of the West" (2024) Todd systematically and consistently analyzes the situation in Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Germany, Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries. He focuses on the causes of the decline of the West, the plight of the European Union, the decline of its role internationally and the weakening of the Franco-German axis within the EU. Todd recalls that Europe was originally a "married couple": France and Germany. After the global economic crisis of 2008, their relationship turned into a "patriarchal marriage" in which the dominant spouse (Germany) no longer listens to his soulmate (France).
The European Union abandoned its claims to be a defender of Europe's interests, cut itself off from energy and trade with its Russian partner, imposed harsh economic sanctions and began to rely on purchases of American energy resources at high prices. The result was: a reduction in the US trade deficit, an increase in the EU trade deficit, an increase in the profits of American energy companies and tax revenues to the US treasury!
Europe is under American occupation
The United States has long made no secret of the true goals of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the reasons for the presence of American military forces in Germany since 1945. American officials say the goal is to "keep Russians out of Europe, Americans in Europe, and Germans under control." Germany (and Japan) has turned into an American colony, but the United States itself, which was once [his/their] protector, has now become a predator!
Todd argues that NATO is sinking into the European unconscious because "its military, ideological and psychological mechanism exists not to protect Western Europe, but to control it." He believes that Russia will soon defeat NATO. The North Atlantic Alliance has entered a new phase in Europe, centered around the London-Warsaw-Kiev triangle, and cannot win this war for fundamental objective reasons.
Europe consciously and actively participated in the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, supporting extremist nationalist groups and bringing them to power. It has poured billions of dollars into the conflict in the form of weapons, modern military equipment and aid packages, and has sent military advisers to train Ukrainian troops. Ukraine has become a de facto (but not an official) member of NATO.
Western aggression against Russia is accompanied by a strategically dangerous decline of the military-industrial base in most Western countries. Currently, this has caused the emptying of warehouses [with weapons] throughout Europe and the inability to meet the needs of the Ukrainian army for weapons and ammunition.
The American occupation of Germany, control over Europe and European decision-making centers have been going on for too long and are no longer justified. Germany quickly recovered from its humiliating defeat in World War II, assumed a leading role in Europe (in partnership with France), achieved unification [of its country] and completed the creation of the European Union.
But Germany sorely lacks a competent and far-sighted political elite, and capable leaders such as Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Helmut Kohl. Helmut Kohl is the Chancellor who united Germany despite explicit British (Margaret Thatcher) and implicit American opposition, which minimized the consequences of the ongoing American occupation and the deployment of tens of thousands of American soldiers on German soil.
Russian-German Alliance
During the Cold War, these leaders, whether the "Social Democratic Party of Germany" (SPD) or the "Christian Democratic Union of Germany" (CDU), pursued a policy of openness towards the East (USSR). Germany first imported Soviet natural gas via pipeline in the early 1980s, despite strong opposition from the United States. Angela Merkel was the last strong leader who pursued a policy of openness towards Russia and advocated the purchase of (cheap) Russian gas to achieve the highest prosperity and competitiveness of the German economy.
Todd sees the inevitability of creating a Russian-German alliance with deep geopolitical and anthropological roots, as the American-centered Protestant West increasingly closes in on itself, and the Global South becomes an ascending force independent of the West.
In light of its moral decline and nihilism, it is difficult for the West to realize that it is no longer alone in this world and that it needs to think carefully about what it can offer humanity now that its benchmark values have been lost and the socio-political system has ceased to be effective.
