Our Hearts are Not in Europe
I
invite you back to the 30th July 1898; it marks a turning point in the path towards a peaceful and prosperous Europe. On that day died Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chancellor of the German Empire. That name harks back to a bygone age of God-given rule by the elite, a time of gentlemanly warfare. More importantly, the Minister of Foreign affairs Von Bismarck was absolutely and indisputably the greatest ever player of multilateral diplomatic chess. Though in truth, the way he played was something more akin to 3D chess, blindfolded and handcuffed. He created a web of gentleman’s agreements and treaties so twisted and convoluted that no one else could comprehend, let alone pick it apart. He, almost solely, kept Europe relatively quiet with well-organized bargaining and powerful displays. Such that, when he died, as there was no one there for the upkeep, the Gordian’s knot he created began to slip… until it was completely torn in two by the assassination of one Franz Ferdinand. Igniting the loose ends of the ties between Russia and Serbia, Britain and
Belgium, and Europe went up in flames. Following the tragedy of the First World War, heads of state knew that the techniques employed by Bismarck could no longer guarantee the welfare and safety of their citizens. His web of treaties had been more like a powder keg, and every alliance a line of flash powder into the heart of European prosperity. Thus, the League of Nations was established with the aim of guaranteeing pan-national coordination and discussion, in order to prevent another war. This could not have been attempted at a more un-fortuitous time, as the global economic collapse and failures of the Weimar Republic, undermined their endeavor. And so, after two bouts of warfare, containing the most extended periods of intense suffering the world had ever seen, France and Germany, the historical behemoths of European politics, avowed that it would never happen again. The EU is a birthchild of these views, a mechanism that would keep France and Germany so interdependent that neither would survive strife with the other. The EU is a sacrifice, it requires willingness to set aside
national prerogatives in favor of a supranational scaffolding that encourages growth, at the possible detriment of state sovereignty. History accounted for, it requires an almost pious faith in one’s neighbours. Yet this approach thrived and, though Iraq and Afghanistan served as archetypes of the shortcomings of liberalism, international intervention has had many successes, not least in the Bosnian war. The European Union, with contribution from NATO, and convenient global tensions allowed integrated Europe to burgeon. Today though, we stand on the precipice of a disjointed Europe. Nationalists call for greater sovereignty, tighter borders and freer economies, with disregard for international stability. And so, it is from the precipice I call you people back; neither you nor I have ever seen an armed conflict between superpowers. Before mechanization they could shatter armies, now they decimate continents. The last great war finished with a nuclear bomb, the next one shall start with one. Will Barker, U6th, Hg
27
