EUROPE AND THE CHALLENGE OF POLITICAL WISDOM
Mendi Rabinovitz*
Europe is more than a union or a treaty. Europe has to build itself as an alternative to the American world hegemony, to lead a clear and effective agenda for the world.
Today it reacts to the situations in the world according to its interest and do not develop an immanent value –based thinking which contain the whole complexity of the situation.
We can see the Middle East policy as a vital example; the Europeans did not acquire the trust of the Israeli people and leadership. The main reason is the sense that it does not have a committed vision for the region but some interests, most of them on the Palestinian side. Moreover, the double standard game when it plays with its inner problems and the foreign policy is added to the distrust feelings. When it comes to deal with the problem of immigration and national identity Europe is very strict and rigid. When the same values are at the stake between the Israeli and the Palestinians, it allows itself to be quite permissive.
As an Israeli, Europe is the cradle of my ancestors, the field where part of my heritage flourished and also the graveyard where it almost died. The spirits of the past are automatically added to the suspicious attitude of any average Israeli. If Europe wants to play a key role in our region it has to take into account this historical dimension.
The integration of rational thinking, clear and equal value system and emotional- psychological awareness is the best way Europe can gain a genuine and significant role in our region.
In order to enhance that deep and creative thinking, Europe has to give the young generation a chance to lead it. It has to leave its conservative outlook and allocate space and budget to develop leaders who are not mugged by traditions and old concepts.
3 years ago a young academic and professional group of vision members offered the EU an idea of a cross national consortium of think tanks, in order to challenge and refresh the routines of thought. Unfortunately, we were rejected by the old establishment which still control the decision making process.
The challenge of combining fresh thinking and political leadership is one of the important missions of Europe. From my point of view, the future vision for the EU is to be found in those three fields:
- A national and religious identity: Europe has to set down the tension between the ethnic- national citizenship and the functional one. Defining the lines it is ready to draw within the immigration issue and the rights of minorities.
- A cohesive foreign policy which follows a clear set of values: Europe has to position itself as a unique and objective voice who offer a global world order based on well expressed values. This voice echoes its historic responsibility for the present situation and its own historical experience from an extremely divided world.
- An assertive environmental policy: the policy should express an everlasting responsibility for the future of the planet and should be an integral part of the education and economic policy.
As an aging continent, Europe should give its young generation, with its wide global outlook, the chance to take the this old and strong ship towards new horizons.
*Mendi is a PhD candidate in contemporary history of United States, and director of the "Vision for Israel" think tank.
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