Dear Reader,
Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, gave a statement during the European Council summit on Thursday reassuring EU citizens that war is not impending. “Despite rumours to the contrary, there is no immediate threat of war,” he emphasised.
However, doubts are arising about Mr Borrell’s sincerity.
Earlier this week, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, stated, “To maintain peace, we must be ready for war.” Should we interpret this as the EU merely making preparations for war without really planning to instigate it? Is this the real message behind Mr Borrell’s words? Or is he actually unsettled by the aggressive talk and militaristic display from some EU politicians and officials?
Mr Borrell may have read Christopher Clark’s critically acclaimed book, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. This book analyses the circumstances leading up to WWI and is considered essential reading for all politicians. Clark demonstrates how each major power believed they could avert war by surpassing each other in the arms race.
Clark writes, “In that respect, the leading figures of 1914 were sleepwalkers — vigilant but sightless, troubled by dreams, yet oblivious to the terrifying reality they were about to unleash.”
Should the Irish government abandon its complacency and urge the EU to halt in its tracks before it’s too late?
Best regards,
DOMINIC CARROLL,
Ardfield,
Co Cork.