Europe at a turning point: Partnerships in a multipolar world

The past week saw yet another week of turmoil in relations between Europe and the United States. This time it was a result of the release of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy (NSS) and a subsequent interview with Trump published in Politico. The NSS warns of the “civilizational erasure” of Europe (due to migration, but also to the “activities of the European Union”) and Trump remarked that Europe is “weak”, “decaying” and “doesn’t know what to do”. (Of course, on the topic of Russia, Trump only had positive words about the country’s strength, size and battlefield advantages over Ukraine.) 

Disturbing as the American government’s posture toward Europe is, it is hardly surprising in the substance, and it starkly demonstrates once again the imperative for Europe to invest in its own capabilities and become more independent of the United States. It thereby served as the perfect backdrop for the launch on Wednesday of our annual BKHS Magazine, as this year’s issue focuses on the question of how Europe can increase its ability to act on the global stage together with like-minded partners. Under the motto “Strengthening Parter Europe”, BKHS experts, along with a range of other authors from think tanks and academia, have developed concrete ideas on how Europe can win new partners in various fields of cooperation and thereby secure its influence in today’s new multipolar order. 

The 86-page magazine includes a number of formats – essays, statements, photos and interviews – and presents a variety of thought-provoking reflections on the future of Europe. We invite you to read the issue in its entirety. In it, you will find that several of the following overarching themes emerge. (It is available for download here.) 

The “second turning point”

The role of the US bears repeating, since it may be the single most important factor driving Europe’s push toward greater independence and need for new partnerships. The United States’s historic foreign policy shift under Donald Trump represents no less than a “zweite Zeitenwende” (“second turning point”) for Germany and for Europe, to borrow a phrase used by BKHS expert Dan Krause in his magazine essay and which has since gained currency in public debate. The first Zeitenwende was marked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and both together have resulted in Europe’s marginalization by other global powers, even when it comes to matters touching upon core European security interests such as the war in Ukraine. 

Whether or not the US is pursuing some new form of empire, as argued by Nathalie Tocci in her essay, the consequence is that the previous rules-based order is eroding and the world is becoming a lot more dangerous for Europe and most other countries around the globe. According to author Faith Mabera, a primary challenge for Europe in emerging from the “shadow of transatlantic hegemony” will be to break free from the dominant Euro-Atlanticist worldview and achieve true independence of thought, especially in foreign and security policy.

A “window of opportunity” for cooperation with the Global South

If there is a silver lining to be found in the US’s shift in foreign policy, it may be that it offers a “window of opportunity” for greater cooperation between Europe and countries of the Global South, especially with middle powers such as Brazil, India or South Africa. This is a view echoed by several authors throughout the magazine. Tocci and Krause, for instance, both point out that a world of ruthless power politics, where “might makes right” is the prevailing law, is a fundamental threat to both Europe’s and the Global South’s interests. In fact, all non-great powers have an interest in some form of rules-based order, one that adheres to the core principles of the UN Charter at the very least. Harsh V Pant and Swati Prabhu, in their contribution, remark that Europe and the Global South are both concerned by China’s rising influence in international organizations and insist there are various possibilities for win-win cooperation, for instance in the areas of health, skills training and climate policy. A further concrete example of an area for cooperation is offered by BKHS expert Kirsten Hartmann, who argues that Europe should partner with other countries to advance implementation of the UN’s Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda. Many Global South countries not only have large youth populations, but are far ahead of Europe in YPS implementation, offering an ideal opportunity for mutually beneficial exchange and cooperation.

The enduring importance of values

Another thread running throughout the magazine concerns the question of values – how they find expression in Europe’s foreign policy as well as what role they play in strengthening social cohesion and resilience at home. 

Pressure is being put on Europe to abandon or at least downplay values in place of a focus on narrower material interests. On the one hand, there is the long-standing criticism of the West’s “double standards” and hypocrisies when it comes to its dealings with other parts of the globe and of its selective application of values. On the other, there is the increasing predominance of power politics and fierce economic competition, which some in Europe have interpreted as putting Europe with its focus on values at a strategic disadvantage. However, Julia Ganter and Leonie Stamm make clear in their essay that to abandon values altogether would actually be a strategic mistake, as Europe’s normative commitments represent the “expressions of long-term, collective European interests”. Instead, they and other authors in the issue call for a principled – but at the same time pragmatic – foreign policy that pursues partnerships based on reciprocity, equal standing and shared ambition. A commitment to values will also prevent the EU from giving up hard-fought regulatory gains protecting citizens’ rights in the name of a simplified understanding of “competitiveness”, according to BKHS Fellow Dorothée Falkenberg.

Social cohesion in Europe    

The social cohesion and unity of Europe is being challenged internally by right-wing populist forces and externally by hostile actors such as Russia and, potentially in the future, the United States. In this context, multiple essays focused on how to secure the stability, resilience and freedom of European societies as a prerequisite for Europe acting effectively abroad.

In their essay, BKHS experts Lea Holst and Elisabeth Winter also find that the EU is employing a simplified and misguided definition of economic competitiveness. They argue that its single-minded focus on economic efficiency risks undermining the basis of Europe’s resilient economic model, which is itself based on strong social security systems and the principle of social justice. Therefore, Europe must not lose sight of social justice if it is to achieve a more robust, long-term form of competitiveness as well as retain its credibility with its own citizens.

BKHS experts Alisa Rieth and Merle Strunk take a different angle, focusing in their essay on European identity, but come to a similar conclusion about the need for greater social justice and solidarity in European societies. Considering the kind of existential challenges Europe is facing, Rieth and Strunk argue that Europe must grow from an elite-based into a citizen-based project that is capable of awakening greater passion and engagement for Europe. In his essay, Alexander Sängerlaub shares this goal of a more active and engaged European citizenry when he sketches out a future utopian scenario in which Europe becomes a “resilient, sovereign informational power” by 2050. He points to the corrosive effects of our current media ecosystems based on Silicon Valley algorithms and ruled over by American tech oligarchs, while proposing a way forward that includes, among other things, the creation of a European Digital Commons, greater transparency in political communication, a restructuring of journalistic models, and the spread of universal media and information literacy.

This brief overview of the overarching themes of the magazine merely scratches the surface of the rich and varied debate contained within its 86 pages. We invite you to take a look for yourself and to let us know what you think – we wish you a pleasant and engaging read!