The rape of Europa, by Jean Cousin. Wikimedia. PD.Until quite recently, it was widely presumed that ‘never again war’ had exhausted itself as a moral mission for Europe.
Many mainstream politicians, both on the left and right, have taken leave of high-strung ideals for an ‘ever closer’ political union, considering that Europe had better confine itself to down-to-earth concerns such as maintaining the single market, facilitating trade and regulating competition.
Europe, for them, no longer offered a lofty civilizational goal, but at best a pragmatic vehicle for generating prosperity and growth.
