Today the European Union, instead of seeking a doctrine to respond to the Arab revolutions, is tiptoeing around them. This non-doctrine has neither name nor substance. It has no name because of a glaring lack of leadership at all levels: in the capitals, where leaders are casting edgy glances as they try to avoid being the first to place the wrong bet on change, and in Brussels, where Ashton has not wanted to risk a thing. This crisis could have been a chance for Ashton to invent herself, but the Baroness has accepted with total submission her fate as a mere spokesperson for what the EU27 can unanimously agree on as best they can. There’s not going to be any Ashton Doctrine if things go on like this.Nor is there any substance to this non-doctrine, because our leaders want everything for nothing: protest without disturbances, influence without interference, condemnation without sanctions, help without risk, participation without paying in. And on top of it all, in keeping up the hypocrisy that has guided the union’s behaviour till now, the leaders do not even bother to hide the fact that what really worries them are refugees and energy prices. Like the miracle of Coke with neither sugar nor caffeine, Europe has launched the Zero Doctrine: changes, for nothing in return.
For more: Europe's zero doctrine | Presseurop (English)
No comments:
Post a Comment