“Wherever I go, I find myself confronted with the accusations of double standards,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell at Oxford University in May. At last year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC), French President Emmanuel Macron said: “I am struck by how much we are losing the trust of the Global South.”
Eisentraut makes this clear in her brief: The criticism of Western double standards is often justified. For example, countries from the Global South point out that the US and other Western states insist on the principle of the territorial integrity in Ukraine, but did not respect this principle during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Western states have often disregarded human rights by carrying out illegal detentions as part of their war on terror. And the Europeans have made common cause with North African autocrats in order to prevent migration to Europe.
However, Eisentraut also points out that critics from countries such as China and Russia often use their accusations to relativize their own violations. Or they use them to justify an approach to foreign policy that is no longer based on moral principles at all, but only on their own interests. The result is that the value of universal rules is being questioned around the world.
Hell I’m European and the unwavering support of the genocide in Gaza by Von Der Leyen and other key players in our governments and the brutal crackdown across Europe on pro Palestinian free speech and environmental protesting is making me lose trust in our own governing bodies. I’m with the Global South on this. I’m not proud of what we are accomplishing as of late or the kind of messaging we’re putting out on the world. How much genocide is acceptable genocide ? How much protesting crackdown can you do on legitimate issues and still call yourself a free speech country?
I also agree with the arguments put forward regarding the Iraqi invasions. There were no weapons of mass destruction and we should not have been there.
And there are also other issues. The European governments at large seem to have given up on younger generations. How the hell can you even have kids when you’re being squeezed this much for basic things like rent and food all across Europe ? How is it that in many places across Europe the youth is being exploited with these unpaid internships just to be allowed a decent job? Seems like most governmental action since covid has been to support the rich and old and neglect the struggling youth. If Europe doesn’t want kids, then i won’t have kids. That’s my protest. Let the rich and old people who get so much solve the fertility issue, I say.