The disorder in the United States led to self-analysis in Europe

American unrest: In the wake of the shocking events in Washington, D.C., EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borel posted an outspoken and outrageous comment on the blog, urging Europeans to “heed the call for awareness for all” and immediately rise up against the violation of the freedoms of democratic institutions around the world. Stand up ”.

Many Europeans are saddened by the sudden departure from the cardinal values, including democracy, at the instigation of President Donald Trump after the 2016 election. Provoked by Trump’s unwarranted allegations of election fraud, a large group of his supporters have taken advantage. Opportunity to encircle the Capitol building and eventually infiltrate as members of Congress work to verify the results of the 2020 elections. Conversation.

American disorder

American unrest: Europeans are still trying to understand what happened. Was this spark an opportunity for a misinformed violent trumpet crew to express their anger again, or was it a pattern of profound dissatisfaction rooted in the United States? Were people in the United States alone deceived by their leader? Fraud has spread to some European countries and has done serious damage to its democratic values.

As far as war is concerned, democracy is at stake as a value and way of governing. “There is a need to fight hard against misinformation,” he said. Confidence in democracy must be regained and European institutions with democratic bases must be protected. That is, he has fought against governments in EU countries, moved away from democracy and returned to unrestrained democracy and dictatorship.

Technology is so powerful

According to Vera Jurova, vice president of the European Commission on Values ​​and Transparency, the problem is simple. In Europe and the United States alike, “people have simply lost faith in democratic institutions.” Re-creating this belief is aimed at a few key adversaries: large technology companies and social networks, loose regulations, unethical coding and unregulated mechanisms. According to Jurova, if they appear to be enemies of the state, they are the fundamental elements of digital responsibility, which build democracy in the digital age. Without them, freedom of expression or the ability to eradicate misinformation and misinformation campaigns cannot be guaranteed.

Jurov advises that the European Democracy Action Plan – a comprehensive blueprint for how Europe 2021 can boost confidence in democratic governments – should be approved through the strong use of new rules and regulations, including the current plan for democracy. Reducing technical monopolies.

Internal issues

Europe will need something truly substantial to rebuild confidence in democracy at home. As Biden struggles to rebuild his country, he must accept that the EU has allowed some treacherous slips in its domestic and foreign policy.

In Poland, EU leaders and institutions were deliberately tolerated or ignored, eroding the full range of rules, including the independence of the judiciary by Jaroslaw Kokszki and the Justice Party.

In Hungary, the Fitzgerald party, led by Victor Orban, has provided startling examples of anti-democratic behavior, including the suppression of press freedom, the misuse of independent educational and voluntary organizations and EU funds. Romania and Bulgaria are experiencing similar erosions of democracy, the rule of law and good governance.

Externally, from weak attitudes towards Belarus and its immediate surroundings to exclusively interest-based relations with Russia and China, the “practical twist” seems to have taken precedence over equality for the first rule. EU on value-based foreign policy programs.

However, believers may argue that nothing compares to the present. Confidence in democracy domestically and the power of diplomacy externally is strong. What is the best time to return with determination and renewed zeal to repair the broken fabric of European democracy? To get rid of false prophets. To punish the perpetrators. Correct violations.

A good place to start might be the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament, which should lose the Fidesz party instead of suspending its members again and again. The next place could be the Council of Europe, which should begin to insist that EU funding be available only to countries that respect the rule of law, thus ensuring that no European leader can act irresponsibly.

In their global relations, European leaders need to speak and act more strongly. Trump’s silence is not so hard, especially until the end. Europe’s bilateral agreements with Russia and China – in fact with the United States under Biden – will all be more challenging to establish democracy as a global value and its role as the basis for liberal internationalism (for the EU). This also applies to its relations with key global clubs, including the United Nations (and the World Health Organization), NATO and the G20.

Very ideological? Certainly no liberal state or organization can function fully on the basis of liberal policies. There will always be pragmatism and hypocrisy in the way national societies choose to rule as liberal democrats. The idea is simply to take them into account. Even flawed liberal democracies – simply persistent and from time to time dedicating themselves to their founding ideals – provide opportunities for struggles to bring us back to democratic practices.

If this is done better, the United States and Europe will be on a safe path during the difficult times of 2021. If it fails, the whole philosophy of governing Western liberal democracy will suffer a dangerous wound in the middle of the century.