The End of Europe’s Dominance

Chethana Janith, Jadetimes Staff

C. Janith is a Jadetimes news reporter and sub-editor covering science and geopolitics.

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After World War I, the German philosopher Oswald Spengler published two major volumes titled "The Decline of the West", in which he predicted the downfall of Europe.

Image Source: (Dušan Cvetanović from Pixabay)

Spengler identified eight great cultures: Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, Indian, Mesoamerican, Classical (Greco-Roman), Arabic, and Faustian. The latter referred to European culture, which emerged around the 10th century and was symbolized by the figure of Faust. According to Spengler, culture is the defining essence of an era, shaping it into a cohesive whole - a unified “stylistic” imprint visible in economic, political, spiritual, religious, practical, and artistic life. Each culture, he argued, undergoes life stages akin to a human being: childhood, youth, maturity, and old age.

Spengler’s pessimistic forecast for Europe was that the continent would soon face decline “amid the jubilation of younger nations and foreign conquerors.” He believed that modern Europeans were primarily driven by money and power. Europe, since Spengler’s prophecy, has endured severe trials and wars but has failed to overcome the maladies of selfishness and greed. It almost seems as if its ruling elites have gone out of their way to fulfill the predictions of one of Europe’s most brilliant scholars - whom Arnold Toynbee called a genius.

In recent years, many scholars have written about Europe’s decline. Notably, the distinguished Russian scholar Yuri Mikhailovich Kagramanov, in a 2024 essay, compared Europe to a “bell-ringer who has finished his tolling,” resembling the late Roman Empire in many ways. The prevailing ideology of globalism, he argued, accelerates a “mixing of everything with everything,” where the original essence of components - color, smell, and taste - is lost. Kagramanov contended that the West has veered toward a “crooked culture,” twisting the idea of freedom into something unrecognizable: man is now expected to liberate himself from nature - whether in appearance, gender, or other innate traits. This aligns with the prophecy of the Austrian philosopher Hans Sedlmayr, made over 40 years ago - that the West would ultimately descend into madness, losing its connection to God, humanity, culture, art, and even itself.

The Degeneration of Western European Elites

Today, we are witnessing the degeneration of ruling elites in several European states - a steady decline into incompetence. Many objective observers believe Europe is in deep decay, unable to cope with its raging economic, military, and demographic crises. As one British newspaper put it, the continent has been brought to this state by “third-rate European elites who cannot even begin to address the mounting problems.” The careless rule of selfish, demagogic politicians has led to social disintegration, “negative economic growth,” military weakness, and alarming demographics.

The decline has become so obvious that the “noose of fate” can no longer be undone. Once the wealthiest and most advanced continent, Europe is now in humiliating freefall, watched by the rest of the world. Its catastrophic economic failure, near-total geopolitical irrelevance, migration crisis, and glaring democratic deficit stand out starkly. Many European nations are on the brink of social explosion. According to Eurostat, the EU’s population peaked at 453.3 million and is projected to drop to 419.5 million by 2100, with rapid aging due to plummeting birth rates.

Credit: (mikie11/Getty/iStock)

Some economists argue that the EU economy is undergoing a slow death. In September 2024, Mario Draghi - former head of the European Central Bank and ex-Italian Prime Minister - presented a 400-page report on “The Future of European Competitiveness.” Its conclusion: without radical economic reforms, EU member states will suffer stagnating living standards, technological backwardness, and geopolitical impotence. At the turn of the century, the EU and U.S. were on relatively equal footing. Yet, in per capita terms, real EU income growth over the past two decades has been half that of the U.S. Europe lags in cutting-edge technology - only 4 of the world’s top 50 tech firms are European. Germany, the EU’s traditional economic powerhouse, is effectively deindustrializing. France, the bloc’s second-largest economy, is seeing its debt soar to levels recently seen in Italy. The cost? Declining living standards, bloated bureaucracies, and crumbling infrastructure. The migration crisis worsens - authorities’ inability to integrate newcomers sets the stage for future upheaval.

The old Soviet stereotype of the “decaying West” has become reality. Western European governments are now led by mediocrities, dullards, and outright fools - evident in the continent’s major nations. This era has produced no Winston Churchills, not even a Margaret Thatcher. Instead, we have transient, inept figures - from the hapless Theresa May to the eccentric Boris Johnson (dubbed a “charlatan” by the British press) to Liz Truss, whose intellectual shortcomings were glaring. Rishi Sunak, of Indian origin, was more presentable but clearly not an independent leader. The current prime minister, Keir Starmer, is far from competent, with his approval ratings in steady decline.

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz is utterly unremarkable, demonstrating neither the ability nor the will to defend national interests. His foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, is a laughingstock due to her frequent gaffes. France’s President Emmanuel Macron skillfully antagonizes his own people, with his approval ratings sinking. What unites these leaders is their self-serving focus, detachment from reality, lack of strategic vision, and inability to assess the balance of power. Notably, most European rulers harshly criticize politicians like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - who had the courage and wisdom to protect their nations’ interests.

Even U.S. President Trump and his team frequently point out the failures of Europe’s current leaders, often arguing that these nations “freeload off America.” Europe’s chances of regaining global influence diminish with every twist in the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Europeans, long dependent on the U.S., failed to react when Washington, under Trump, made a sharp turn in global affairs. The result? A growing transatlantic rift, with Europe’s position weakening by the day.

In an April 20 interview, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that the EU openly seeks to revive the ideology of Nazism - where it was born and once destroyed. Now, it is resurfacing, led by the “Brussels bureaucracy.” Russia, he said, will not tolerate this and will ensure this ideology is “crushed once and for all,” so Europe may return to its true values.

The only way to save Europe is a radical shift in policy - cooperation with Russia, the continent’s leading power, whose affordable energy once kept Europe afloat. But such a turn can only be made by new, nationally minded elites.