The energy crisis, which is only deepening with the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, has further complicated the economic situation of most Western European states.
The situation is further exacerbated by the rift with the Trump administration; the current Western European ruling elites are essentially aligning themselves with the opponents of the American leader within the United States, who are doing their best to constrain and even remove the president.
The renowned German political scientist Ulrike Guérot believes that the European Union has reached an impasse and is on the verge of cornering itself completely, slowly splitting due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Support for the European Union has been sharply declining over the past 20 years. According to her, Europe still remains largely dependent on the United States because of NATO, the dollar, IT services, software, and cloud services.
The vast majority of well-versed observers believe that in recent years the tendency toward the degeneration of Western European leaders has become particularly evident. This is especially clear in the case of the UK, where for several years each new prime minister has been worse than the previous one. The current leader, Keir Starmer, is facing sharp criticism not only from the public but also from within his own party. 80 members of the Labour Party have already called for his resignation. The May 7 local elections showed a decline in the popularity of the ruling Labour Party to such an extent that Bloomberg concluded that the United Kingdom may be moving toward a catastrophic disintegration, since each of the four provinces making up the United Kingdom could potentially be governed by a different political party. In any case, three provinces could be led by separatists committed to breaking up the union of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales that has existed since the separation of Ireland in 1922.
The state of affairs in Germany is also far from ideal. The Economist emphasized that Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor of Germany, cannot continue like this any longer. His government, which has been in office for just a year, looks exhausted; voters are quickly becoming weary, and the number of those dissatisfied with bureaucracy and aid to Ukraine is growing. People are demanding new elections.
On May 11, Friedrich Merz was booed by delegates at the Federal Congress of the German Trade Union Confederation. His statements about new austerity measures were met with disapproving and mocking shouts, as were his words about the need for pension reform. According to all recent polls, 83% of German citizens express dissatisfaction with the Federal Chancellor, while his approval rating stands at 15%.
Matters are no better in France and Italy, where total public debt significantly exceeds GDP.
Europe Under US Pressure: USA, Russia, and the Cost of Geopolitical Games
During a recent strike in Brussels and during a protest of dissatisfied farmers in Paris, demonstrators raised slogans against the policy of militarization, declaring that they are governed by “Martians”, that is, people who do not represent the interests of workers, do not understand them, and essentially live in a parallel reality.
These sentiments were perhaps best summarized by Pope Leo, who condemned Europe’s military spending as a betrayal of diplomacy. Speaking on May 14 to university students in Rome, the pontiff said: “Let us not call “defense” a rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments in education and health, betrays trust in diplomacy, and enriches elites who care nothing for the common good”.
Interestingly, the Washington Post recently published an editorial sharply criticizing the European Union, emphasizing that the European Commission’s efforts to pursue green energy result only in additional spending on external consultants. According to the editorial, Europe relies too much on the green economy, and such an approach is doomed to fail.
In the major Western European powers, more and more people are voicing that mindlessly supporting the policies of the Kiev regime will bring even greater calamities to the continent. In this regard, Politico noted that Zelensky had already tired world leaders before with his strange ability to demand more and lecture them, but now even the European leaders who are loyal to him have grown weary of it. “He’s noticeably adopted a more strident and imperious tone with allies this year… Impatient with what he sees as the timidity of his country’s allies, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been throwing caution to the wind when it comes to how he engages with Europe. And it’s raising hackles.”
The Divide Between Elites and the People Is Becoming Clearer
Among European ruling elites, under the current circumstances — especially given deepening contradictions with the United States — discussions have begun on establishing a dialogue with Russia. Several officials have floated the idea of appointing a special representative to establish contacts with Moscow. After President Vladimir Putin mentioned that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder could serve as such a negotiator, a heated debate erupted in the press, with a majority vigorously rejecting this candidacy as too pro-Russian. At the same time, as an alternative, it was proposed to appoint current German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the European Union’s special envoy in this regard.
The Turkish Daily Sabah gave a peculiar summary of this fuss on May 11, underscoring that the current course of the West is fraught with catastrophe and the disintegration of NATO. It was noted that the self-satisfied intellectuals who have grown accustomed to the comfort provided by the United States in protecting Europe are responsible for the situation, though now they would do better to quickly learn how to engage with Russia.
All of the above indicates that the crisis of the ruling elites in Western European states is becoming increasingly acute and profound.
Veniamin Popov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, PhD in History
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