European Union Security and Defence by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030488932
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

3 The EU at a Crossroad

Tzvetan Todorov, a great European intellectual from southeastern Europe with intimate knowledge of classical and modern Greece, passed away a few weeks ago. In his last book, Todorov (2012) cautioned us of ‘hubris’ with regard to European integration and the nearly 2500-year-old democratic project that it embodies. In a previous book inspired by Constantine P. Cavafy famous poem from the former turn of the century, called ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’, he similarly asked us not to succumb to our own anxieties in the face of terrorism and immigration (Todorov 2008). When it comes to security and defence, finally, Todorov insisted that Europe should steer clear of neocolonialism and seek to exert a tempering, mitigating influence in the world. He used the French term La puissance tranquille (The Tranquil Power) to describe this approach.

For historical reasons but also in order to be effective and shape a neighbourhood where Europeans are respected rather than feared, Todorov’s image of a dignified tranquility associated with Europeans’ use of power can probably serve our continent well.

Fig. 1‘Peace and Security’ (EPRS 2018 cited in Lazarou et al. 2018, p. 57)

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