“Facing Trump, Europe picks up shells”, a conversation with Giuliano da Empoli

The last paper volume of the large continent published under the direction of Giuliano Da Empoli — The Shadow Empire: War. Therefore, Earth at the time of AI – is available per hereThus as a subscription

What is your reading of the sequence opened on Sunday by the announcement of a kind of unequal treaty between Europe and the United States? – "facing trump, europe picks up

Looking at the images of this humiliating encounter, I remembered a story of Suetone.

In The life of the twelve Caesarswe can read the story of an emperor who concentrates all his troops. Similarly, centralizes all powers, eliminates all his enemies …

Once he has taken total control of Rome. Therefore, is the only master, “facing trump, europe picks up the emperor leads his immense army by the sea and orders him to pick up the shells.

You can’t help but compare von der Leyen.

In a very effective way. Similarly, the president of the commission gradually eliminated all her opponents, dismissed the commissioners who disturbed her and concentrated all the procedures in her hands.

But this extraordinary centralization of power leads to the scene to which we painfully assisted Sunday in Scotland. However,

Only, in place of shellfish, there were the golf balls of the new flashy complex of Donald Trump.

But beyond the shells, did the union really have an army?

In a sense, yes. Meanwhile, But you have to get out for a moment from this analogy and-even if it is a bit complicated. Similarly, in this very bizarre period-try to understand what the President of the United States really does.

What is his “facing trump, europe picks up strategy?

Trump’s offensive against Europe has a double dimension. Therefore, On the one hand. For example, there is one aspect, so to speak, rational; On the other hand, a purely political and ideological movement.

The “rational” dimension stems from a postulate. Furthermore, Since the second half of the 20th century. Meanwhile, the United States would have provided Europe with a surplus of common goods: such as a certain security, military protection, the dollar, commercial infrastructure, as well as, more recently, digital.

Today. In addition, Trump is looking to get much more income and value from its European interlocutors than the United States provides them with. Furthermore, Although this idea is not formulated exactly in these terms. For example, it seems to me that the “rational” dimension of the American offensive against Europe is given this objective: to extract from an alliance now completely unbalanced and asymmetrical as many as possible.

“facing trump, europe picks up

Trump would he be leading a ” enshittification » of the American Empire? Having reached hegemony. no longer being able to expand more on the same bases, the United States is reducing to extract all the remaining value of its dominant position, compressing costs, sacrificing their alliances and thus risking compromising the very conditions of their supremacy …

This is no doubt. even if it must be said that the United States has never had many scruples to draw a colossal rent from Europe. Admittedly, they did it more discreet, more rational, more effective. Trump, who is a predator, wants to push this policy to the extreme, destroying everything that has been built.

On this level, the humiliation of Europe is inevitable. Our lack of sovereignty. especially in the military field, but also in many other fields, has repercussions on these trade agreements and all the rest. “facing trump, europe picks up

The only evaluation criterion on this front is the direction taken: it is a question of understanding whether one begins to lay the foundations to get out of this state of humiliation. or not.

The Shadow Empire. War and land at the time of AI

Under the direction of Giuliano Da Empoli. Afterword by Benjamín Labatut.

With the contributions of Daron Acemoğlu. Sam Altman, Mark Andreessen, Lorenzo of Castle, Adam Curtis, Mario Draghi, His Gentiles, Marietje Surkov, Peter Thiel, Svettana of Tikhanony, Jianwei Xun and Curtis Yarvin.

To be discovered in bookstores and by strolling with the review.

And in what direction is the announcement of the Sunday agreement?

I would say that it seems clearly going in the direction of a permanent humiliation rather than an exit. from it.

Digital services were out of the field of this first round Negotiations. but it seems difficult to imagine that when the time of discussion has come, we can lead to a different result, taking into account the premises.

The same could be said of the military plan. already embodied in the frankly embarrassing capitulation line expressed by former Prime Minister Rutte and his ” daddy issues »To use a formula of Sunday letter.

Did you talk about a more ideological, less rational second dimension?

Yes, all of this is only the first aspect of Trump’s offensive.

The second-that Ursula von der Leyen. all the other European leaders seem incredibly “facing trump, europe picks up ignored-consists of a politico-ideological, extraordinarily violent and daily offensive, through which the White House aims to impose a radically alternative political model: the overcoming of liberal democracy, the bypass of the law and the imposition of a mixed system, technicalism.

The project that is set up in Washington is obvious to everyone. it has obvious consequences on our institutions and our political systems increasingly subject to pressure that aims to change the diet.

On this level. the answer should be very firm and without any margin of hesitation, which would not prevent continuing to discuss on the foreground.

Why is the answer completely absent politically?

Von der Leyen and the others do not understand the power of the symbols.

The technocratic world. in which almost all of European policy evolves-not only in Brussels, but also in other capitals-completely ignores the political, ideological, principles and all that is not “facing trump, europe picks up quantifiable.

And from this point of view, the defeat is dramatic and doubly humiliating.

In politics, ignoring the symbols can be very risky: we can very quickly become one to his detriment …

Yes. this is how we end up putting ourselves in humiliating positions, taking ridiculous photos with a lifted thumb and an absurd smile, or by accumulating frankly pathetic statements and tweets.

Von der Leyen is not the sole responsible for this capitulation. very many European governments are also, but it has set up in position to become the symbol, almost too perfect, of happy vassalization: it looks almost like a form of poetic justice …

Trump knows the value of the symbols. his career is marked out: from the birth certificate of Obama to the wall, including the myth of the “deal”.

Let’s go back to symbols and shells. You said that there may “facing trump, europe picks up not be an army like that of the emperor described by Suetonius. but in any case a political energy made up of many citizens wishing something other than to undergo this humiliating spectacle daily. Is this?

It seems obvious to me.

I think there is an impressive space today for a European leader who would like to activate this symbolic energy.

The figures clearly show it. The Eurobazooka survey published in these pages is very explicit. underlines the existence of this general army, which is waiting to be mobilized on a certain number of fronts.

The problem is that the time that remains is not infinite. that this energy can easily take a destructive direction.

But no one says anything.

It is really the most surprising.

No European leader has so far had the courage to take this flag. give a speech of truth about the true nature of the “facing trump, europe picks up offensive we face.

To say that what we all see every day corresponds to what is really going on: an existential risk. We will probably no longer live as before and there are difficult choices to make.

It is not certain that we will succeed. it is quite possible that the 21st century is that of the great European humiliation. But that is not yet said, because we are here and we are ready.

Basically, are you convinced that the time of predators will only sound when that of the invertebrates has sounded?

That’s about that.