Developments are rapid in its neighborhood, but the European Union is showing more than ever its absence, its inadequacy, its passivity and ultimately its failure to play a serious role in what is happening at its borders, becoming a tragic spectator of history in the making.
In the role of passive observer, trapped between fear of Donald J. Trump and complete inability for strategic intervention, Europe watches breathlessly as operation Epic Fury dismantles the balances in the Middle East.
At a time when the United States and Israel are eliminating the leadership of Iran and Tehran is vowing holy war and revenge, Brussels limits itself to vague wishes for “restraint,” confirming its geopolitical nonexistence and justifying with the unacceptable statements of its leadership the attack.
With Sergei Lavrov mocking the “Epstein instincts” of the Western elite and analysts speaking of a “Bush on steroids” acting without regard for his allies, the EU appears more divided and “absent” than ever, turning the vision of strategic autonomy into a tragic echo of history.
The moment of truth for “silent” Europe in Trump’s “war of choice”
The joint military campaign of the United States and Israel against Iran constitutes an unprecedented violation of international law, a “war of choice” that threatens to plunge the Middle East into an endless bloodbath.
While Donald J. Trump openly seeks regime change in Tehran, Europe appears disturbingly timid, avoiding even naming those responsible for the attacks in the joint statement of France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Europe’s geopolitical suicide: From strategic autonomy to full subservience, complicity and a “blank check”
In an act of absolute political and moral capitulation, the “cowardly” European leaders offer full cover to the United States and Israel for an illegal war, transforming the “international order” into a brutal doctrine where the law of the strong is imposed by force.
The stance of the European Union toward the flare-up in the Middle East constitutes the final certificate of its diplomatic nonexistence and complicity.
At a time when operation Epic Fury is leveling Tehran, Brussels chose to hand a “Blank Check” to Donald J. Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, as aptly observed by Responsible Statecraft.
Systematically avoiding condemning the strikes as a violation of international law, European leaders silently legitimized the aggression, relinquishing any moral advantage they had sought to build in previous years.
At the same time, internal division paralyzes any possibility of common action.
On the one hand, the countries of Eastern Europe line up blindly behind American orders due to commitments in NATO, while on the other, France and Spain limit themselves to whispers of concern about the collapse of energy markets.
This fragmentation is not merely political, it is the image of a continent that fears taking responsibility for its own destiny, preferring to watch developments from the sidelines.
Europe is no longer a player on the geopolitical chessboard, but a passive observer waiting to see where the dust of the bombings will settle, having permanently lost its voice and its dignity.
The joint statement of the E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) is a “seminar in avoidance of responsibility.”
Declaring provocatively that “we did not participate, but we are in close contact with our partners,” London, Paris and Berlin fully adopted the propaganda of the “hawks” against Tehran, focusing on the nuclear program and “regional destabilization.”
The dangerous precedent of illegal violence in a Europe of nonexistence
History repeats itself in the most dangerous way.
As happened with the invasion of Iraq and the bombing of Belgrade, the West demonizes a regime to justify an illegal war.
But international law is not a reward system for “good behavior,” it is a framework of constraints designed precisely for moments when the powerful convince themselves that the rules do not apply to them.
The final shipwreck of European diplomacy is sealed by the unimaginably irresponsible stance of Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas.
The two powerful women of Brussels have been downgraded to mere “managers of consequences,” with their sole concern the evacuation of personnel and the protection of trade routes, while war redraws the global map.
While Pedro Sánchez in Spain and Espen Barth Eide in Norway raised their voices rejecting unilateral military action, Ursula von der Leyen continues to turn a blind eye.
Her decision to convene a “special security council” to discuss the “unjustified attacks of Iran” treats the escalation as a problem caused by the retaliation of the target and not by the initial attack.
As expert Nathalie Tocci stated, there is no longer even hypocrisy, only nonexistence. The EU is no longer neutral, it is actively dismantling the very legal architecture on which its security depends. History will be merciless toward those who drove the last nail into the coffin of the “rules-based international order.”
Orwellian absurdity and diplomatic betrayal
It is truly Orwellian that Europeans “urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution,” at the very moment when the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, did exactly that in Geneva just the previous day.
Instead of condemning blatant aggression against a UN member state, they present the crisis as a “natural consequence” of Iran’s refusal to capitulate unconditionally.
The logic is distorted, the victim is blamed for the attack and the invaders are presented as “guardians of order.”
The cynical calculation: Ukraine and the ghost of Trump
Behind this cowardice lies a cynical calculation.
Europe, desperate to keep Washington committed to the security of Ukraine, considers that a confrontation with Donald J. Trump over the Middle East is a “luxury it cannot afford.”
This follows the equally spineless reaction of the EU to the American attack against Venezuela two months ago.
Indeed, some leaders appeared to be “emboldened” by the ease with which the United States abducted Nicolas Maduro, secretly hoping that the same could happen to Vladimir Putin.
This situation vindicates the most scathing criticisms
The reference by Sergei Lavrov to the loss of the instinct of self-preservation among European leaders now sounds like a painful truth.
Accused of “Epstein instincts” and moral decay, the European elite appears provocatively to ignore the immediate risks to the security and prosperity of its own citizens in order not to disturb its relations with Washington.
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