Deadly Coronavirus, Domineering China and Divided America: What the New Geopolitics Means for Europe

Summary:

Donald Trump’s four years in power, COVID-19 and China’s seemingly inexorable rise have all shaken the geopolitical kaleidoscope – in ways that challenge the West and the liberal values it espouses. But can Joe Biden’s election and new efforts to integrate Europe revitalise the liberal, democratic model? This essay examines 12 geopolitical trends that will affect Europe. In order to make their liberal, democratic model more appealing, both the US and the EU should start by sorting out their internal problems. The US needs to overcome its culture wars and return to being a predictable and principled country. The EU needs to bring together its east and its west, without betraying its values. It must come up with a better system for handling immigrants – and a more effective neighbourhood policy. It should not be beyond the wit of Biden and European leaders to make the Western model more appealing than Chinese authoritarianism.

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