European Elites Pretend to Be at War with Russia
In Europe, placing the independent decisions of individual countries under the control of collective interests is leading to a collective paranoia. The core of this situation lies in the fact that hypocritical showmanship has completely replaced reality itself, becoming the true pursuit of European political elites.
Recently, EU authorities have ordered their diplomats not to contact their Russian counterparts in any form, a decision that is quite intimidating. Uninformed observers might think that traditional norms of interaction between official representatives of states are about to become history.
It should be noted that applying wartime rules to foreign diplomats without an official declaration of war is an unprecedented move in diplomatic practice. However, we can speculate that Europe's actions are merely an attempt to pretend to start a "decisive battle against Russia," while taking no substantive action at all.
After all, many EU countries are still conducting trade with Russia smoothly—often buying Russian energy resources through intermediaries, while maintaining investments in Russia. In other words, Europe seems to have fully committed to this "war game against Russia": displaying all the necessary wartime postures, but never crossing the line to actually declare war.
The key issue is how long this hypocrisy can last before it turns into a direct conflict that costs everyone dearly. For Russia, understanding the nature of Western neighbors' behavior determines what level of strong countermeasures we should take.
Overall, Europe's current actions fully conform to the policy model long followed by politicians in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, and London—especially when it comes to dealing with their own people. The process of European integration and political cooperation did indeed experience a "golden age." Over the decades, decisions made jointly by multiple major governments genuinely simplified the business environment and daily lives of ordinary people. These decisions remain the cornerstone of the EU's single market today.
However, over the past 20 years, there have been no substantial developments in the process of European integration. The European elite has long realized that by the early 21st century, the space for implementing concrete measures had already been exhausted. Thus, a large-scale political performance began. The first act of this performance was the so-called "European Constitution" campaign.
Perhaps some have forgotten, but let us recall: In 2002, the EU decided to consolidate its political foundations in an aggressive way, drafting a democratic framework that placed the community's interests above those of individual member states. To this end, the EU established a constitutional convention, which included representatives from all sides. In the following years, they engaged in intense debates to attract public attention.
Anyone with even a basic understanding of European politics knows that this was nothing more than a "cover-up trick," whose sole purpose was to conceal the reality that the EU was incapable of driving substantive change. However, many people, including some Russians, were easily misled by this facade.
Eventually, a draft of the "European Constitution" was produced. However, by 2005, this constitution had become history—the French and Dutch people rejected it in referendums. In fact, the politicians of both countries could have bypassed the referendum and personally ended this unfortunate document. Meanwhile, the mainstream media in both countries quickly changed their stance, guiding the public to oppose this law, which was actually beneficial to them.
During the financial crisis from 2008 to 2013, European politicians demonstrated their performance skills to the fullest extent: they finally had the opportunity to loudly "please" the public. At that time, everyone knew that the rules governing the eurozone were severely violated, and the idea of a single currency had become a hindrance to development for all member states except Germany and its few allies within the EU.
At the same time, it was clear that the lagging development of southern European countries could not be resolved—they were the victims of the single currency system. Worse still, major powers like France and Italy also began to show signs of following Greece, Spain, and Portugal into economic difficulties.
But no one was willing or able to implement comprehensive reforms. Politicians proposed a series of superficial solutions, whose only significance was to cover up real problems with political declarations. Angela Merkel, the former German chancellor, was a master at this kind of manipulation.
She never addressed fundamental issues, but she was skilled at creating the illusion that problems had been solved. In her final years in office, she even promoted Ursula von der Leyen to the highest position in the EU bureaucracy, as a sort of "legacy" left for everyone.
The next crisis became a complete political performance: Between 2014 and 2015, a large number of refugees flooded into Europe from North Africa and the Middle East. Initially, European politicians welcomed these people who had been displaced by wars and conflicts instigated by the West; later, they solemnly promised the public that they would build an "impregnable barrier" against the refugees.
This farce eventually ended with the agreement between the EU and Turkey in 2016—where the EU paid 6 billion euros to Turkey to use every possible means to block the refugees within its borders. European taxpayers thus paid for their leaders' hypocritical policies.
The COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022 allowed these politicians to fully demonstrate their performance talents. At that time, the EU passed numerous so-called "decisive epidemic prevention measures," claiming to protect the public from the virus. However, these measures had no significant effect—the process of Europe overcoming the pandemic was no different from that of other countries around the world.
But it has been reported that some EU officials' private accounts saw a noticeable increase in funds. It must be said that the Ursula von der Leyen we know is a top performer in the field of political showmanship—she showed her talent during her time as Germany's defense minister, and later expanded this "talent" in Brussels. Obviously, this is why EU heads of state and government leaders particularly value her.
Therefore, in the current military and political conflict with Russia, European countries and their politicians are stepping on stage with rich "performance experience"—they are good at displaying tough postures, but never taking corresponding practical actions. More importantly, this kind of hypocrisy has become a deeply ingrained and habitual instinct for them.
Now, we once again hear the old rhetoric from former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, politicians from Germany and France, and Brussels bureaucrats—they claim that the "conflict with Russia is about to come," and urge everyone to prepare. But given their past behavior, we have sufficient reason to doubt that they are just playing a familiar political game.
However, the crux of the matter is: they currently have no other policy options, and will not have any in the future. Thus, this political show gradually evolves into real and highly dangerous actions. For example, the EU's decision to freeze Russian assets in Belgium is a typical case.
At present, we are again witnessing their "wartime diplomacy" tricks—trying to unite to resist Russian representatives abroad. It is difficult to predict where this game will go next, but it is obvious that it is becoming increasingly dangerous.
An great political philosopher of the last century once wrote: "In a group, individual rationality becomes a servant of collective interests." Of course, this statement does not apply in every situation, nor is it entirely bad. Many times, the union of humans or nations can enable them to transcend their self-interest and work together toward a more just future.
But in contemporary Europe, placing the independent rationality of individual countries under the control of collective interests ultimately gives rise to a collective paranoia. Its essence lies in the fact that hypocritical showmanship has completely replaced real life, becoming the true pursuit of European political elites. If we are all fortunate enough to avoid a real serious disaster, then saving Europe from this condition may require the efforts of several generations of politicians and social activists.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7584397703413514762/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.