A few weeks ago, Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign policy, pointed out: "Yes, Europe is a garden. Everything works. It is the best combination of political freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion that humanity has managed to build, all three things together. (…) Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden”. His statement raised all kinds of criticism, considering developing countries a jungle and keeping a colonialist language alive.
However, if we focus on the first part of his exposition, we cannot fail to observe that Europeans are increasingly aware that Europe, thanks to the preservation of the welfare state, the separation of powers, a acceptable standard of living and an institutional network that allows mitigating the effects of crises, is the best of both worlds.
In this same direction, the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, a few weeks before Borrell's reflection, pointed out in an interview: "Nothing is attractive in the lifestyles of Russia and China. Even European decadence is still the most attractive way of life in the world, followed by what remains of the American dream." The European decadence that is expressed in its political weakness and in the lack of ambition to achieve technological and military dominance in the world allows, at the same time, to allocate its limited forces to the preservation of its model of life.
The European ideal and reality, the best of the worlds, must now face, as a result of the extension in time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, if it will be able to maintain "the garden" and the values that it have allowed it to be built. Everything that works now can be dangerous, not only because Russia maintains its territorial expansionist bet, but also because the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons has begun to be installed in the military and political language.
The question that Europe must now resolve is whether it will take the lead in a negotiation to end the war and start building peace or, on the contrary, is nothing more than a jungle disguised as a garden.
