Enough With the Toxic Debates in Europe

For more than four years the EU has been debating its place in the world, and its relation to the United States, based on changing narratives. It started with “strategic autonomy.” Although anchored in EU documents, this term turned toxic as Central Europeans spotted a French plot that would drag them away from the United States and its security guarantees. Following this, the debate switched to “European sovereignty.” This new bumper sticker has since been put on everything from Europe’s “digital sovereignty” to “technological sovereignty” and “military sovereignty.”