Μake us preferred on Google It began as a pessimistic possibility. And ended up a grim forecast. The coming winter is going to be very hard indeed.
Two wars continue to rage and burden the global economy, in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf. With nothing to indicate they’re drawing to a close, or that their fallout is lessening.
Energy prices have skyrocketed already, and every Western society is paying for the cost of living crisis and economic downturn in one way or another.
But it isn’t just the economy. The Russian drone attack on German soil may not be the first incident of its kind, and we have no idea if it was a one-off or a sign of things to come.
It might just have been a reckless “warning” to a country wholeheartedly aligned with Ukraine.
Naturally, every European and NATO country stood by Germany, but no one wants to imagine what the next step in a potential conflict could be.
But it hardly came as a surprise. When two armed conflicts drag on with nothing in the way of an exit strategy or plan on the horizon, you need to expect the unexpected.
Still, to be entirely honest, it is far from obvious what the European Union can do to break the deadlock.
Especially given the electoral landscape, which only adds to the difficulties. Over the next twelve months, we will see elections in Greece, Italy, France, Germany (regional) and Spain, to name just a few of the most significant.
Not to mention the upcoming US midterms this November.
Of course, a different Europe might have been able to rise to these challenges. But this “other Europe” either doesn’t exist, or exists no longer.
Which leaves us to deal with the wars and the economic hardship.
But democratic societies get tired. They freeze like rabbits in the headlights. And their fatigue undermines any attempt at a rational response, leaving them defenseless against every would-be opportunist.
It is no coincidence that the first post-summer polls in France suggest the 2027 presidential race is shaping up to be a showdown between the far Right and the far Left.
Until then, of course, the priority remains getting through a winter that will definitely be hard, and which may turn out positively bleak.
A first step could be the de-escalation of hostilities in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf. Even if something like that does happen (which doesn’t seem likely at present), it will still take time for normality to be restored and the economy to right itself.
Let’s hope we’re spared the opportunists, at least.
