Comment: Europe at crossroads in face of Trump's reckless madness

 The great Trump has once again launched an attack, with all the force of an apparent superhero who only causes damage! His return to the global political stage represents, in the eyes of many, a radical break with the principles of international cooperation and democratic stability.

 And this is deeply frightening; it looks like a genuine political madness that risks dismantling decades of painstakingly built balances. His political vision, particularly regarding foreign policy, contains, in my view, all the signs of instability.

 Amid the turmoil and complexity of our time, Trump presents himself as a champion of peace that is anything but peace: it is the peace of the strongest, imposed unilaterally, and one that increasingly gives space to authoritarian powers which progressively undermine collective security, damage markets by plunging the economy into uncertainty and disregard the value of institutions and international law.

 I am convinced that the programme Trump has in mind cannot be considered a solution to today’s problems; rather, it appears to be the reactionary deployment of a man who makes himself the central pivot and demands that the world revolve around his unspeakable recklessness.

 Those who believe in democracy, respect for human rights and cooperation among nations will never, ever see Trump as a liberator.

 Europe, at this moment, stands before a historic crossroads. This is not merely about opposing the advance of an ideology, Trumpism, that has nothing to do with the very meaning of Europe; it is, more precisely, about carrying out a profound transformation in how the continent conceives of itself.

 Without ifs or buts, Europe, which for too long has delegated its security to the United States, must now be able, with strength and determination, to build what is known as European sovereignty. This does not mean abandoning NATO, but rather constructing a solid European pillar by integrating defense industries, harmonizing armaments and no longer depending exclusively on the American nuclear and logistical framework.

 Europe should accelerate the transition to renewable energy and invest massively so as not to be crushed between the United States and Chinese expansionism. In the face of Trump’s tariffs used as a weapon of pressure, Europe, which represents one of the world’s richest markets, must respond firmly, preventing individual states from seeking separate agreements and countering trade strategies that would harm U.S. companies.

 On the social front, while Trump tends to polarize societies, Europe must be capable of strengthening democratic values, defending the state against authoritarian drifts, and demonstrating that the European welfare system is able to protect its citizens.

 Europe must grow up and stop seeing itself as a dwarf, finally transforming itself into a fully autonomous geopolitical power.

 War

 The night holds its breath.

 War breaks into silent horizons.

 People weep, hearts shudder,

 life—like a lantern gone dark—

 keeps time with death.

 Through smoke and ruin

 the innocent cry of a child

 threads the air.

 The wind carries dry leaves

 from trees stripped of roots.

 Mothers run after the echo of cannons

 that, without honor, harvest young lives

 beneath a sky

 falling upon every dying soul.

 War…

 how ugly war is. 

 A body without a soul,

 rejoicing when reason

 stops giving birth

 to healthy emotions.

 (translated from Italian by Darcie Peters)

 jp-dp