We have to be a moral power. We have to stop compromising. We have to understand this as a chance. We have to let us be guided by values. We have to be strong. We have to be forceful and not let ourselves be divided. With an honorable mention for the representative of the european commission making a pledge, that she doesnt want to hear the word appeasement anymore.
ECB brings in the immense power of pensionfunds that still could be leveraged to a much greater extent. And sees the usual dangers of economies that are too exposed to international trade.
So lets go through this. Moral power means, lets go back to a world where we have economic blocks. And not ask the Khashoggi question, because at least those issues dont touch our moral sphere, by virtue of being far enough away from our borders. It also means to look more closely into the current Xinjiang leaks, because our new public MO is that of being moral, strong and united. We have to stop compromising means, removal of vetos or the unanimity principal, in matters of EU foreign and security policy. We have to let us be guided by values means -- something, something legal tradition. We have to be strong means, to use this moment to establish the notion of becoming an international military power as well (helping the Nato 80% but also being able to conduct our own interventions, and securing our own borders), because of the potential upheavals we cant dodge anymore as a result of the current war, thats pretty much a given, we have to be forceful and not let ourselves be divided is the new mantra for my generation. Because you have to see this as a chance, right? No appeasement is the new position of the european commission, because if you’d go the appeasement route, all the other nice catchphrases wouldnt work. And game theory is for pussies.
(Which btw. is also what the prime minister of slovakia seems to have learned almost exclusively from the current crisis - he is very into this idea. To the point, where he pushes it to become the second to last point of rhetorically constructed applause lines.)
The ECB is now at the point, were it wants to leverage pension funds more forcefully and also is into reducing exposure to international trade, because of increased risk of instability (climate change, food security), because of the US not caring about securing trade routes for free anymore, and because of everyones favorite term, resilience. So essentially the aspects that climate activism was allowed to promote in Davos in the past years.
There is also another trend you can gage from the people that have been put on the panel, and that is - make northern european countries, and the countries in the east exposed to russia, matter more within the european union to keep german and french interests in check. “Do you believe that germany will take the role, to bind all those interests together to make a cohesive european union” - was one of the rhetorical questions asked, to which the answer of course was “we have to - at least when it comes to the defense union”.
(Higher dependency in terms of energy produced by northern european states, higher dependency in terms of the security infrastructure provided by northern states, more permanent NATO troops (planned) in the eastern european states, raising their profile within the NATO alliance, as well as the EU…)
And then end on an inspirational “we know this is not easy, we know we cant take democracy for granted, so lets do this”!
Phoenix also has commentary, if you want to consume this with more sugarcoating and ambiguity. (german)
Schlüsselfrage “was von dem was Europa will - hat Scholz begriffen”?
Aaaaamazing.
edit: Kristalina Georgiewa (IMF director) doesnt particularly like the “new iron curtain trend” - too bad everyone else does.
Climate risks, food security issues, and the US not caring about securing trade routes all over the world, particularly, is a hell of a combination.
edit2: Hearsay comment that france and germany are privately promoting “we should not be saying that the Ukrainians can win this” stance in Davos (at 8:48 in).
