“Free Palestine!” is synonymous to “Heil Hitler!”

That’s at least what Benjamin Netanyahu believes and what Benjamin Netanyahu openly said in one of his recent addresses. He meant every word he said, for the Israeli Prime Minister also equated Hamas with Nazis. His precise words were: “For these neo-Nazis ‘Free Palestine’ is just today’s version of ‘Heil Hitler!’ They don’t want a Palestinian state – they want to destroy the Jewish state, they want to annihilate the Jewish people.”

Why so harsh words? Why equating Hamas with the NSDAP? Israel’s prime minister as well as Israel’s authorities must have been living in distress for the last several months watching the anti-Israeli resentment unfold across the Western world. American students, Western governments, the Western press have become anti-Israeli – an unthinkable phenomenon heretofore. Tel Aviv could always rely on the support of the Western world in Israel’s conflicts with the Arab world and all of a sudden such a bitter surprise. The American Christian Zionists were (and these continue to be) pro-Israeli; the intellectuals (many of them of Jewish extraction) were pro-Israeli; the common people were pro-Israeli as they were imbued with the compassion for the Jews because of the latter’s suffering during World War Two. The very few who did not dare to comply with the pro-Israeli trend were swiftly and effectively silenced with accusations of anti-Semitism and the resultant consequences like social ostracism. Something, however, has changed. Neither the intellectuals nor even the governments are unconditionally supporting Israel’s policies.

Since the Western world’s historical awareness has been raised on the holocaust narrative, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw it fit to resort to the same narrative also this time. It has worked for so many years, it ought to work also now. But will it?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have also been tempted to draw the comparison between Hamas and the NSDAP as he – along with other Israeli politicians and journalists – has learnt that it was the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s government that began to be accused of making use of methods of pacification of Palestinians that Germans applied against Jews during World War Two. That must have come as a kind of shock: the tables of historical interpretation have been turned on the State of Israel. The historical narrative so skillfully used as a very effective tool of blaming and shaming Western nations and thus eliciting from them the readiness to approve every item of the policy of the State of Israel has lost its spell. A psychological backlash to Tel Aviv.

Though in the same speech Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enumerated the heinous atrocities that Hamas fighters committed – like beheading men, raping women and burning babies alive – it all seems to have fallen on deaf ears in the West, even though it is not the first time that Israel’s prime minister showcases to the world the many crimes perpetrated by Hamas. Or maybe precisely because of it.

The international political mood seems to have changed in favour of Palestinians. No amount of evidence revealing the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas appears to carry weight. Maybe because in war no side to the conflict is to be trusted: each side is innocent in its own eyes while the opponent is guilty of everything. Maybe because the evidence of journalistic footage exonerated Hamas and incriminated IDF. Maybe because the Israelis have eventually overplayed their hand with the ceaseless narrative of them being always innocent of the conflicts occurring in the Middle East.

Equating “Free Palestine” with “Heil Hitler” is this kind of hyperbole that produces an effect that is other than the desired one. People have grown tired of the Hitler-epithet. Whoever is disliked by the media or the authorities or the powers that be, the Hitler-epithet or the Hitler-argument is a default epithet or default argument. If you want to win a debate, use the Hitler-card before your interlocutor or opponent rolls it out. If you want to make people hate a leader, necessarily equate him with Hitler. (Russia’s president comes to mind immediately, doesn’t he?) This tactic worked for a long time, but now it seems to have lost its forcefulness. You can play the same trick only so many times.

French Rafale aircraft got killed at the hands of their Chinese counterparts (just as German Leopards and American Abrams got crushed at the hands of Russian drones)

Of course we are making reference to the recent aerial clash between Pakistan and India. A skirmish or even a battle as it supposedly involved more than 100 planes with five of the Indian aircraft being downed (Islamabad’s claim) or none of them being down (Delhi’s claim).

Pakistan and India have not been on friendly terms for decades now. Be it the disputed region of Kashmir or the support that Islamabad lends to insurgents who cause trouble in India, there are intermittent clashes and skirmishes now and again. Some are minor, some are major. An attack launched by insurgents or terrorists (the name depends on the point of view) from Pakistan’s territory into Indian territory on 22 April this year left some 26 casualties. Delhi felt compelled to retaliate, at least symbolically, at least not to lose face before its own population, not to mention the rest of the world. So, on May 6/7 lots of aircraft were sent to hit 9 targets in Pakistan (5 of them in Kashmir). Islamabad did not intend to let itself be ridden roughshod and scrambled its air forces to punish the intruder. From the ensuing skirmish or battle the Pakistani air forces are said to have emerged victorious, which of course is denied by Delhi.

Up to now the event is one of the many that have occurred between Pakistan and India, and – of course – more are to be expected in the foreseeable future. What was special about the outburst of conflict this time was the fact – or speculations – or suppositions which made the headlines that Pakistani aircraft made in China successfully clashed with the Indian aircraft made in France. The aerial duels were fought between China-made J-10 (Chengdu) and the French-made Rafale, Mirage (and also Russian-made SU-30 and MiG 29). One Rafale and one Mirage are said to have been downed, which is now confirmed, now dismissed by the world media. Obviously, truth is not to be had in the nearest future, but still the event rings some interesting alarm bells.

One, Chinese aircraft made a successful debut in a military conflict. Even if their success is disputed or downplayed, their presence attracted the attention of military experts.

Two, the French aircraft manufacturer may have received a dent to its prestige. Again, even if the news are doubtful and challenged, current and prospective customers might have second thoughts.

Third, the news about downing at least one Rafale and one Mirage might be dismissed, but the fate of the German Leopards and American Abrams in Ukraine – the two tanks that were reputed to be crème de la crème – might support suspicions that Rafale aircraft are not as good as they are advertised, either.

Four, China shows its strength not only in economy but also in its military capacity. The reader will have remembered about the Chinese cosmonauts (or astronauts) orbiting the earth and working on the Chinese space station, a fact not properly emphasized by the media. The Western consumer of information, upon being asked about space exploration, will most likely associate it with Americans and Russians, barely the Chinese. And yet…

Five, technological prowess of the Chinese aircraft only proves that China’s industry and engineering is as advanced as their Western counterparts if not better. Washington’s trade war against China is a sign of America acting in panic mode: the Hill has belatedly realized that the Asian dragon is on America’s heels, poised to move in for the kill.

Six, the world is split between the West and the Rest (BRICS and the “non-aligned” to use the political term from the latter part of the previous century). This Rest might stop purchasing military equipment from the West and begin to opt for the Chinese offer in this respect. Why, if the J-10 aircraft matches the capabilities of the French Rafale or Mirage, and is at least twice as cheap ($40-60 million against $100-120 million), then why overpay? To make the choice of the provider easier, countries around the world must also take into consideration that buying American or generally Western military equipment comes with a tag of the piece of equipment being or not being allowed to be used for particular purposes. So, Pakistan could have used American F-16s against India in the conflict referred to above… only that it could not, because the sale contract stipulated that these aircraft were not to be used by Islamabad against India without American prior permission. Beijing does not attach such restrictions to its military products.

The whole event may be denounced as Pakistani or even Chinese propaganda, which it might be. Yet, it is the small changes that accumulate over time and bring about a breakthrough, a colossal change. Fifty years back no one thought China would challenge the United States: today the United States feels seriously threatened. Chinese automobiles, Chinese cell phones, Chinese this, Chinese that are all flooding the world market. High time for the Chinese military equipment to do the same. The outsourcing once initiated and practiced for decades in with United States along with the de-industrialization propagated in the European Union hugely contribute to the change of the global balance of power. While the West is obsessively preoccupied with ethnic replacement, (anti-)racism, culture cancel, and rainbow sexuality, the Middle Kingdom is going about its business of becoming the world’s superpower. Also militarily. 

Gefira 94: The future rises from the past

The end of history announced in 1992 by Francis Fukuyama did not last long: say, between 1992 and 2022. The end of history was understood as the global victory of liberalism and capitalism and the preponderance of the United States of America. Indeed, during the first half of the said period it looked like the world was moving in this particular direction, with all the players submitting themselves to the scenario. China was not yet recognized as a threat to the Western world, while a weakened Russia under Yeltsin and during the first years under Putin seemed a dead man walking. Yes, Russia, the heir to the once feared Soviet Union, did all she could to fit in with the Western world and become a partner among partners. Alas, the countries that emerged as victors from the Cold War – especially the United States – decided to make a big killing and do away with Russia altogether. Fate had it that Russia was blessed with a strong patriotic leader who – at first by no means anit-Western – challenged the new world order in which his country was to be kept in subjection (the 2007 Munich speech). The Western leaders kind of woke up to the possibility of the rebirth of a strong Russia and so they began carrying out their favourite operations inside Russia (Navalny, the Yabloko Party)and close to its borders (political upheaval in the Caucasus, in Belarus and Ukraine). Slowly, when push came to shove, Moscow decided that enough was enough and launched a pre-emptive military campaign in Ukraine (historically known as Little Russia). The world was shattered and new political and economic alliances emerged.

Though the liberals of all shades and hues kept Europe and the United States under their control and were in the process of transforming traditional societies into futuristic unisex – unsexed – transsex – you name it – nationless, raceless, classless, sexless and faithless homogeneous communities bragging about their – yes! – diversity and inclusion and equity, strong resistance began to grow at the grass roots and also among some of the self-styled elites. People decided that enough was enough and began to give more and more support to parties that were aligned with the wishes and dreams of common men and women. Such parties were of course denounced by the managers of the Western world as far-right, which in their parlance is supposed to be a strong political slur marking the opponents as pariahs. This must have added fuel to the fire: common people who unlike their elites did not lose most of their common sense responded by voting for “right-wing” parties with an ever greater desire. The managers of the Western world felt compelled to resort to cancelling or invalidating some of the elections in particular countries or fining and imprisoning political leaders who enjoyed popular support. Ideas were raised to delegalize a couple of parties, like the German AfD. Well, you can make a party illegal and you can even throw into a dungeon top “far-right” politicians, but what are you going to do with the tens of millions of the supporters of those parties? Are you going to imprison them all? to send them to… concentration camps? to delegalize them all?

To make things worse for the liberals, a backlash occurred in the United States: Donald Trump was elected president, and he immediately made null and void many of his predecessors decisions. Among them was his revolutionary assignment of only two sexes to people under his presidency! What a reverse!

It appears that history has no intention of coming to an end, as Francis Fukuyama predicted. History is history precisely because it continues to turn the future into the present, and the present into the past, layer after layer after another layer, with each layer remaining distinctive just as growth rings in a tree trunk, each telling its own story.

 

Gefira Financial Bulletin #94 is available now

  • Why does socialism always lead to the fall of the economy?
  • Trump’s 100 days
  • War on wokeism
  • The global economy pays duty

We’ll Hunt You Down!

Just as the United States is known for its export product – the dollar – so the European Union is known for its domestic product – loads of decrees and decisions and directives. Every year, every month, every week tons of texts are composed and made public in almost 30 languages, with each text being as long as possible. No need to even make a supposition whether those texts are read by anybody save for those unfortunate individuals who are tasked with writing them and translating them into the many tongues. (Maybe those individuals are not all that unfortunate: they are paid well, after all, for the scribbling.)

The European Union badly wants to change not only the Old Continent, but also the whole world, setting moral and political standards, also through the documents that it produces. The reader conversant with history and with Emperor Joseph II of Austria in particular will have recalled that a similar phenomenon took place during his reign of 1780-1790: the said emperor would spend hours every day at his desk with the purpose of mending and repairing his kingdoms, and with the purpose of making his subjects happier and happier. He produced decrees and laws and directives the way the EU has been doing for more than a decade and he genuinely thought he was doing something grandiose.

Among the documents that Brussels bureaucrats have produced is Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (as if, carving up Yugoslavia and tearing Kosovo from Serbia the EU bothered about the integrity of states as a principle, but never mind). We are not going to survey all the measures that the document announces save for one: it provides a list of Russian citizens who are targeted for punishment because they “support the regime” and “threaten the territorial integrity” of Ukraine. This list has been since reviewed and duly expanded by way of Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1738 of 24 June 2024 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. We get a blacklist or a kill list in either document. The targeted individuals are given by first name and surname, followed by such data (if available to the authors of the list) as the date of birth, place of birth, nationality, professional or administrative position, passport number, and even tax identification number – all tabulated. One column states the reason why an individual is recognized as the enemy of humanity, or at least the enemy of the European Union. Who does the blacklist include?

Well, speakers of local parliaments, chairmen of councils, heads of institutions or committees or agencies, ministers and deputy ministers, owners and (majority or controlling) shareholders of companies, and judges of military and other courts. Among them we can also find TV presenters, bloggers, actresses and singers! They are all the enemies of humanity and peace, and especially enemies of Ukraine, supporters of the Russian regime and Russian aggression, and the like.

Talking about singers: the list is graced by no less a person than Polina Sergeevna Gagarina (Полина Сергеевна Гагарина), one of the most popular artists, a participant in the 2015 Eurovision, where she came second in the Grand Final. (Those were the times when Russian artists and sportsmen could still perform in Europe and were even awarded prizes. Hard to believe from today’s perspective, isn’t it?). Her many hits include Я тебя не прощу никогда (I’ll Never Forgive You), Спектакль окончен (The Play Is Over), Драмы больше нет (Drama Is Over), Обезоружена (Disarmed), Смотри (Have a Look), Небо в глазах (Sky in Your Eyes), and many many others. They are not presented to the European public although Europe is constantly bragging about diversity and inclusivity, but – again – never mind this digression. You cannot present a Putin-supporter, or can you?

What are Polina Gagarina’s unforgivable sins? Let us look up the information placed against her name in the kill list. We read that Polina Gagarina “regularly performs in the framework of State propaganda events, for example to celebrate the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions or the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. She thus supports actions which undermine the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Polina Gagarina has been able to generate significant revenue through her frequent participation in state-sponsored propaganda events and programmes. She therefore benefits from the Government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Ukraine.” Wow! Probably according to the EU commissioners a Russian citizen should oppose the Russian authorities if an external power (like the EU) says so. Probably according to the EU commissioners a Russian citizen ought to think precisely the same as the EU commissioners when it comes to politics and morals or else. Probably according to the EU commissioners Polina Gagarina ought to sing in Ukraine against her own country, to spite her own authorities. Her loyalty should be to the EU rather than to her government.

At this juncture one may begin to wonder whether Polina Gagarina and indeed all the men and women from the blacklist are aware that they are the enemies of humanity, and – assuming they know – whether they care.

The EU commissioners in the good tradition of their Bolshevik predecessors administer punishment to the enemies of progress and light. Within the meaning of the paragraphs of the mentioned decisions the member states shall refuse the individuals from the hit list entry into or transfer through their territories and shall freeze their funds and economic resources (obviously if they have any in the EU). Hey, Europeans! Do you know that you are expected not to listen to songs performed by Polina Gagarina? You probably don’t listen to her anyway, but just in case you might be tempted to check the titles given above: you’d better not. If you do, you’ll be supporting the forces of darkness and damaging the cause of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Ukraine’s sovereignty.

China’s blow to luxury brands from the West

The owners of American and European luxury brands have recently learnt that all means are permitted in war. Due to reciprocal duties on goods, tariffs of 145% are being imposed on goods exported from China to the USA. The Middle Kingdom did not limit itself to the introduction of retaliatory tariffs. The TikTok platform, a Chinese social media app with a global reach of over 1 billion users, has developed a trend that at first glance resembles a grassroots mass initiative by Chinese citizens. Short videos are posted on TikTok that allegedly reveal the modus operandi of luxury brands such as Dior, Prada, Hermès, Chanel, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Apple, Michael Kors, Nike and many others. These companies are said to manufacture their products entirely in China, adding only logos, price tags and, of course, making sky-high profits in the official country of origin, such as America or France. The authors of the videos point out that, for example, a handbag selling for $38,000 only costs $1,300 to make, which should encourage Western customers to buy directly from the manufacturer rather than overpay at an expensive salon in Paris or New York. As you can imagine, these videos are gaining huge popularity and causing controversy. What’s surprising about the above trend?

Firstly, the videos show executives of Chinese factories and other not at all random people who probably could not make a spontaneous decision to record and publish such material on behalf of the company. Secondly, the popularity of this movement has been used by manufacturers of knockoffs to sell them even better. Thirdly, many luxury brands sign agreements with their contractors in China that oblige them to keep this collaboration secret. Fourthly, if a factory actually produces goods for a European luxury brand, how much will its sales fall if that brand ends all its co-operation with it due to the disclosure of company secrets? What will you sell and to whom?

I absolutely do not deny that many western brands use cheap Chinese production to increase their huge profits. Quality does not always go hand in hand with price, and often you only pay for the logo. However, you cannot assume that this is the case in every instance. Sometimes, for example, it is the pre-assembly of a particular product that has to be completed under completely different conditions and using different methods in a completely different country. Let’s also not forget that Chinese contractors do not bear the costs of product development (e.g. designers, electronics), which are often the highest in the entire cycle. Incidentally, experts in the luxury goods market claim that more is bought than the product itself. They talk about emotions, history, a sense of belonging, unique shopping experiences and brand philosophy. It is likely that the target group for these products will find such an argument convincing. Of course, this situation will force manufacturers to be more transparent about the supply chain, which is beneficial for consumers.

Romania has just shown the EU the middle finger

Was it not expected after all! Could it not be expected? It seems only the European Union’s self-anointed elites have trouble using their brains. As is known, they caused Romania’s 2024 presidential election to be annulled because the winning candidate Călin Georgescu was – as they are used to label such candidates – far-right, and because the candidate was supposedly backed by no less a factor than the Kremlin (via TikTok – of all the means of exerting political pressure!). Romanians took to the streets and manifested their displeasure and their anger, and how much they were upset and outraged by Brussels’ antidemocratic interference. The protests were further fuelled by the fact that Călin Georgescu was even detained by the law enforcement officers for a short time, interrogated and barred from taking part in the repeated round of the election that was to take place this May. The protests in Bucharest and elsewhere did not receive much mainstream coverage. If we did not have alternative media – who knows? – we might not have learned about the outrage the decision of the EU elites provoked at all. Those who saw the protests through alternative media had the impression that the Romanian people would rise – indeed – the way they did during the last days of Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime.

It turned out the Romanian nation proved to be far more prudent and judicious than the mentioned self-anointed EU elites, who think they know better what is the best path for all humanity to follow. Călin Georgescu was replaced by George Simion, who in the election held last Sunday (4 May) won twice as much support than Călin Georgescu: 40% of the vote as compared to the 23% gained by his party predecessor. Was it not expected after all! Could it not be expected? What did Brussels think at the time when the commissioners or God knows who of those who pull the strings behind the scenes decided to annul the previous election? Did they really believe that the Romanian nation would stand corrected and cast their vote the way it was wished by the managers of the European Union?

Now the managers of the EU are going to have another Viktor Orbán on the eastern flank of the European superstate. How about it? Think also about Slovakia’s Robert Fico and the picture begins to look grim for Brussels. The second round of Romania’s presidential election is due on May 18; on the same day the presidential election in Poland is scheduled to be held. That day will be strenuous for Brussels, indeed: Romania seems to be lost, at least for the time being, how about Poland? If Poland goes “right”, then the whole of the eastern flank of the EU – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania – will have been somewhat hard to manage. This problem will have been compounded by the persistent and rising popularity of AfD in Germany and Marie le Pen’s party in France. Ideas of “legally” suppressing either of these political groupings might not appear a good solution, judging by the reaction of the Romanian people. If the said parties in France and Germany were to be delegalized, then who knows what might happen next. Not necessarily overnight or violently: the political change in Romania was peaceful and took almost half a year (December 2024 – May 2025), but the success of those who displeased the EU turned out to be all the more bigger, and by so much more impressive.

The EU managers feared Călin Georgescu. What if victorious George Simion (because it just does seem possible that he might lose the second round having such a powerful popular support) appoints Călin Georgescu to the post of Romania’s Prime Minister? Ursula von der Leyen and company will be forced to have dealings with the man they wanted to prevent from taking the reins of power, they will be forced to put courteous smiles on their faces in the presence of a man whom they wanted to remove from the political stage and whom they wanted to denigrate as a Russian stooge. A situation similar to the one with President Donald Trump. As we remember, many European top leaders and top politicians intensely depreciated, besmirched, maligned, and disparaged him before the election only to be compelled to smile in a courteous way afterwards while meeting with the newly elected president if only on grounds of politeness.

The EU’s managers will not dare to pull off the same “legal” trick of annulling Romania’s election. They know they might entail serious political upheaval, and they know that they would lose face altogether. Sure enough, Brussels will not come to terms with such a political verdict of the Romanian nation. Both Călin Georgescu (if again in power as Prime Minister or a minister) and George Simion will be made to feel how much they are disliked until and unless they comply with all the EU’s wishes. Călin Georgescu and George Simion will be handled like Belarus’s President Alexandr Lukashenko used to be treated at the time when he still had contacts with the EU diplomats. Such is democracy made in the EU, such are human rights (to dignity, shall we say?) in the same.

The Demise of Europe

President Donald Trump – as is known – has imposed tariffs on European and south-east Asian countries. What is peculiar about those tariffs is the fact that the United States has imposed different levels of tariffs on particular EU countries. That’s something. If there were one approach in this respect to the European Union, this uniform approach would strengthen the Union, its entirety or its – to use the fashionable word – integrity. Now since the tariffs differ from member-state to member-state, the unity is being weakened. Brussels will either have to accept this American policy as is or the EU government (known as Commission so that the gullible continue to think that there is no superstate) will have to counteract it. How? The EU government will need to implement and impose tariff agreements between particular member-states so as to distribute the tariff burden equally or at least more or less equally. Whatever policy will be adopted, the pretentious grandeur of the European Union will have received a dent. The famed tariff-free transfer of goods and services is about to be shattered.

That’s how pretentious declarations usually end. Man has always been tempted to shape future and please himself with the thought of being capable of arranging life for himself as he sees fit. In this effort man has always been unsuccessful. Why? Because vivimus non ut volumus, sed ut possumus – We live, not as we want, but as we can. The European elites have been wanting to shape life to suit their ideals that were born in their heads or the heads of the philosophers and magicians of the word who conjure up social and psychological constructs and are somehow miraculously regarded as social scientists. Reality, however, obstinately refuses to comply with human wishes. Europe is in decline and this decline is being denied. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron behave like they were leaders of imperial Britain and imperial France. The fact is that today’s France is not the France of Louis XIV or Napoleon I; nor is today’s Britain the Britain of Queen Elizabeth I or Queen Victoria.

In the 19th century the United Kingdom and France had colonies around the globe; today they themselves are being colonized by the people from around the globe. In the 19th century the French and the British believed in their civilizational mission; today neither the French nor the British believe they have anything to offer to the world. Rather, they believe they ought to apologize to the once suppressed and exploited peoples and they ought to adore and worship men and women of different skin colour. In the 19th century England and France would bring culture and education to Africa and Asia; today the two nations obliterate and cancel their own historical and cultural heritage, playing down its importance and re-interpreting or de-constructing it.

Europe is becoming an unimportant corner of the world: Europe’s industry is dying, Europe’s culture is deteriorating, Europe’s political leverage is becoming irrelevant, Europe’s military proves to be weak and ineffective. The Old Continent’s industry is dying because the European elites have turned into worshippers of the Mother Earth and they themselves have deliberately destroyed the industrial potential of their own countries. Europe’s culture is deteriorating because its artists have given in to ugliness and repulsiveness, to cultural experimentation and cultural nihilism. Europe’s politicians – saturated with ambitious and inept women selected to the high posts on the basis of women empowerment quotas – have stopped playing any considerable role in world affairs. Significantly, talks over Ukraine are conducted between the United States and the Russian Federation, bypassing London, Paris and Berlin. Europe’s military is a joke: weak industry translates into little armament, while armies saturated with effeminate males, rainbow recruits, and women “soldiers” are armies in name only. Yet, industry, which is the basis for the military, is frowned upon by the advocates of green economy. The result? Some of our readers will have known that Poland, a NATO member, has bought hundreds of tanks from… Korea. Whether the decision was dictated by the fact that no European country can produce sufficient numbers of tanks anymore or by the fact that German tanks have proved to be mostly useless in Ukraine is also an interesting question.

All this havoc was wrought by ideology – pernicious ideology – that has been born in the minds of leftist intellectuals and has been reigning supreme for a few decades now and is about to reign further on in the foreseeable future. The pernicious ideology of equality and uniformity, a mutiny against reality, a satanic non serviam: I will not serve. I will not obey even the laws of nature! I’ve been born a man, but I want to be a woman, and I will! I’ve been born a woman, but I want to be a man, and I will! Nonsensical, detrimental, childish, downright foolish.

All of which is compounded by the ideology of struggle or – better put – setting one social group against another, playing off one political system against another. In the 19th century it used to be the workers and the peasants against the “owners of the means of production” and the landlords; now it is women against men, blacks against whites, homosexuals against heterosexuals, political left against political right, democracy against autocracy – you name it. It is a never-ending story. There must always be fascists and antifa, far-right and far-left, climate-change deniers and climate-change advocates, those who doubt the notorious pandemics and those who exaggerate its dangers, anti-Putin and pro-Zelensky, racists and anti-racists, misogynists or supporters of patriarchy and feminists, followers of the CNN and BBC on the one hand and followers of conspiracy theories on the other, adorers of Palestinians or adorers of Israel – the list is really endless.

Individuals identifying with one group or another hurl at their opponents labels without noticing that the labels are most of the time misleading. Why, Communist China is developing a capitalist model of economy, while the European Union, which never ceases to talk about human rights and liberties, is censoring free speech and meting out penalties to those who dare drop a word of dissent on social media or to those who dare pray in the vicinity of an abortion clinic.

The Western world is divided within itself, the Western world is denying its own identity at the ideological level (as described above) and virtually by means of saturating its populations with arrivals from non-western countries, by means of assigning individuals of non-European descent to the highest positions and by means of casting non-whites in historical typically European roles in the movies.

There are three hallmarks of the European Union: ethnic replacement, rainbow sexuality, and green economy. Nominally Christian Europe is anti-Christian (though not anti-Muslim!), anti-Russian, and anti political right (which is always viciously and misleadingly referred to as far-right). Europe’s identity is thus dying because it is not going to remain either Christian or white. Europe’s influence in the world is dying as well: rather than developing its industry, its is turning itself into a tourist resort. In the near future affluent visitors from China and India will spend their holidays by touring Italy and Spain, France and the United Kingdom, and admire the remnants of their past glory: castles and palaces, churches and cathedrals, old towns and 19th century factories turned into shopping malls or residential apartments. China and India will have their political and economic outposts in Europe while Europeans will look up to the Chinese and Indians the way their predecessors from the 19th and 20th centuries were looked up to by the Chinese and the Indians. What a reversal of roles! What a reversal of fortune!

It was fashionable among the 19th century gentry and aristocracy from the United Kingdom and France, from Russia and the German states to go south and visit the ruins of the Roman Empire in Italy and the ancient architectural remnants in Greece. The Isles of Greece, the Isles of Greece – wrote George Gordon Byron inspired by the sights of the glorious past of the Athenians and Spartans – where burning Sappho loved and sung, where grew the arts of war and peace, where Delos rose, and Phoebus sprung! Eternal summer gilds them yet, but all, except their sun, is set.

Ancient Greece used to be full of entrepreneurial, military, cultural and economic stamina. It was not the biggest political entity or rather a cluster of entities, but it was proud and prosperous, and it expanded, colonizing the littoral regions of the the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. When a power from outside Europe – Persia – attempted to suppress it, to subjugate it, to dominate it, proud Greeks put up a fight rather than importing the Persians to their cities, rather than squeamishly making room for newcomers under the noble pretext of helping the poor. And bear in mind: ancient Greek towns did not form a political union like the EU. Just the opposite: they waged wars among themselves. Yet, ancient Greece was at its best when it was divided, just as Europe was at its best when it was divided.

Then came decay. Comfort, deteriorating morals, and the fratricidal senseless Peloponnesian War, which lasted almost thirty years (431-404 BC), and which weakened Greece the way Europe was weakened by its fratricidal thirty-year conflict of 1914-1945. The result? Greece fell prey to Romans and then to Turks. For centuries never to regain their glory.

Nowadays, United Europe becomes weaker and weaker in a similar fashion. United Europe looks for salvation in ecology and rainbow sexuality, in censorship and ethnic replacement, in the cancellation of its identity and in feminism. Europe is sawing off the branch on which it is sitting, Europe is despising itself in that Europe is cancelling its culture and its God. Europe is finishing off what the two fratricidal wars did not manage to destroy: Europe is virtually aborting itself out of existence. In the not distant future a Chinese or an Indian Byron will come to the Old Continent and reflecting on its past glory he will write:

  • Cradle of culture long deceased!
    Here Shakespeare wrote and Goethe sung,
    here grew the arts of war and peace,
    here Paris rose, and London sprung!
    Eternal summer gilds thee yet,
    but all, except thy sun, is set.