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@ Dan Eriksson
2025-04-09 10:54:43The old world order is crumbling. What was once considered stable and unshakable—the American-led global framework established after World War II—is now rapidly disintegrating. From the fraying fabric of NATO to the self-serving protectionism of Trump’s renewed presidency, the signals are clear: the empire that once held the Western world together is retreating. And in the vacuum it leaves behind, a new power must emerge.
The question is: will Europe finally seize this moment?
For decades, Europe has relied on the illusion of safety under an American umbrella. This dependency allowed us to indulge in what can only be described as “luxury politics.” Instead of strengthening our core institutions—defense, infrastructure, energy independence—we poured our energy into ideological experiments: value-based governance, multiculturalism, aggressive climate goals, and endless layers of bureaucracy.
We let ourselves believe history had ended. That war, scarcity, and geopolitical struggle were things of the past. That our greatest challenges would be inclusivity, carbon credits, and data protection regulations.
But history, as always, had other plans.
Trump, Nationalist Hope and Hard Reality
Across Europe, many nationalists and conservatives initially welcomed Donald Trump. He rejected the tenets of liberal globalism, called out the absurdities of woke ideology, and promised a return to realism. In a world saturated by progressive conformity, he seemed like a disruptive breath of fresh air.
And to a certain extent, he was.
But history will likely remember his presidency not for culture wars or conservative rhetoric—but for something far more consequential: the dismantling of the American empire.
What we are witnessing under Trump is the accelerated withdrawal of the United States from its role as global enforcer. Whether by design or incompetence, the result is the same. American institutions are retracting, its alliances are fraying, and its strategic grip on Europe is loosening.
For Americans, this may seem like decline. For Europe, it is an opportunity—an uncomfortable, painful, but necessary opportunity.
This is our chance to break free from the American yoke and step into the world as a sovereign power in our own right.
The End of Illusions
Europe is not a weak continent. We have a population larger than the United States, an economy that outpaces Russia’s many times over, and centuries of civilizational strength behind us. But we have been kept fragmented, distracted, and dependent—by design.
Both Washington and Moscow have an interest in a divided, impotent Europe. American strategists see us as junior partners at best, liabilities at worst. Russian elites, like Sergey Karaganov, openly admit their goal is to push Europe off the global stage. China, for its part, eyes our markets while quietly maneuvering to undermine our autonomy.
But something is changing.
In Brussels, even the ideologically captured technocrats are beginning to see the writing on the wall. Overbearing regulations like GDPR are being reconsidered. The long-pushed Equal Treatment Directive—a pan-European anti-discrimination law—may finally be scrapped. These are small signs, but signs nonetheless. Europe is waking up.
From Fracture to Foundation
To build something new, the old must first fall. That collapse is now well underway.
The collapse of American hegemony does not mean the rise of chaos—it means the opening of a path. Europe has a choice: continue to drift, clinging to broken institutions and obsolete alliances, or embrace the challenge of becoming a serious actor in a multipolar world.
This does not mean copying the imperial ambitions of others. Europe’s strength will not come from domination, but from independence, coherence, and confidence. A strong Europe is not one ruled from Brussels, but one composed of strong, rooted nations acting together in strategic alignment. Not a federation, not an empire in the classical sense—but a civilization asserting its right to survive and thrive on its own terms.
At the same time, we must not fall into the trap of romantic isolationism. Some nationalists still cling to the idea that their nation alone can stand firm on the global stage, detached from continental collaboration. That vision no longer matches the geopolitical reality. The world has changed, and so must our strategy. In key areas—such as defense, border security, trade policy, and technological sovereignty—Europe must act with unity and purpose. This does not require dissolving national identities; it requires mature cooperation among free nations. To retreat into purely national silos would be to condemn Europe to irrelevance. Strengthening the right kind of European cooperation—while returning power in other areas to the national level—is not a betrayal of nationalism, but its necessary evolution.
A Third Position: Beyond East and West
As the American empire stumbles and Russia attempts to fill the void, Europe must not become a pawn in someone else’s game. Our task is not to shift allegiance from one master to another—but to step into sovereignty. This is not about trading Washington for Moscow, or Beijing. It is about rejecting all external domination and asserting our own geopolitical will.
A truly pro-European nationalism must recognize that our civilizational future lies not in nostalgia or subservience, but in strategic clarity. We must build a third position—a pole of stability and power that stands apart from the decaying empires of the past.
That requires sacrifice, but it also promises freedom.
Hope Through Action
There is a romantic notion among some European nationalists that decline is inevitable—that we are simply passengers on a sinking ship. But fatalism is not tradition. It is surrender.
Our ancestors did not build cathedrals, repel invaders, or chart the globe by giving in to despair. They acted—often against impossible odds—because they believed in a Europe worth fighting for.
We must now rediscover that spirit.
This is not a call for uniformity, but for unity. Not for empire, but for sovereignty. Not for nostalgia, but for renewal. Across the continent, a new consciousness is stirring. From the Alps to the Baltic, from Lisbon to Helsinki, there are voices calling for something more than submission to global markets and American whims.
They are calling for Europe.
The Hour Has Come
There may not be a second chance. The tide of history is turning, and the next ten years will determine whether Europe reclaims its role in the world—or becomes a museum piece, mourned by tourists and remembered by none.
This is not the end.
It is our beginning—if we are brave enough to seize it.
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