The West's greatest challenge may not be terrorism or pandemics, but rather its own internal decay. The democratic model, once touted as universal and irreversible, is now under assault from within and without. The Trump administration's National Security Strategy has declared war on Europe, framing the continent's values as a threat to American interests.
The rise of populism, fueled by social media algorithms that amplify anger and polarization over rational discourse, has created a perfect storm for authoritarianism. The erosion of human rights protections, subjugation of the judiciary, and intimidation of independent journalism have become commonplace.
The "inequality emergency" – a lack of affordable housing, universal quality education and healthcare, and security of employment – has alienated many young and working-class people from democracy. This has led to the resurgence of illiberalism and authoritarianism, as those who feel left behind turn to extremist ideologies.
To fight back against this onslaught, some argue that Europe must speed up enforcing its existing digital laws to regulate tech giants. However, enforcement is hindered by the rule of law, which prioritizes due process over swift action. The European Commission has issued preliminary findings against major tech companies but faces resistance from member states and entrenched interests.
Others point to addressing people's basic needs – affordable housing, well-paid jobs, and effective public services – as a way to preserve liberal democracy. However, solutions reside at the national and local level, making it difficult to deliver quickly due to planning regulations, nimbyism, and cost.
Democracy campaigners propose appealing to public fears by depicting populists as a danger to European values and prosperity. They suggest that liberals must start behaving as if they're in an existential fight, attacking the other side's weaknesses and disdain for the people. However, this approach has limited success, as exposing past corruption or highlighting inconsistencies in extremist platforms hasn't swayed their popularity.
Some argue that simply doing politics better, learning from extremist campaigns, is key to saving liberal democracies. Grasroots activism, like Emmanuel Macron's successful use of grassroots mobilization in his rise to the French presidency, might be a promising approach. However, centrist populism can also backfire, especially for parties with a history of coalition governments.
For now, the tide seems to be flowing strongly against liberal democracies in Europe. As one senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre noted, "We're not doing anything offensive, attacking the other side's weaknesses, their disdain for the people." Perhaps it's time for liberals to take a more aggressive approach to defend their values and way of life.
The rise of populism, fueled by social media algorithms that amplify anger and polarization over rational discourse, has created a perfect storm for authoritarianism. The erosion of human rights protections, subjugation of the judiciary, and intimidation of independent journalism have become commonplace.
The "inequality emergency" – a lack of affordable housing, universal quality education and healthcare, and security of employment – has alienated many young and working-class people from democracy. This has led to the resurgence of illiberalism and authoritarianism, as those who feel left behind turn to extremist ideologies.
To fight back against this onslaught, some argue that Europe must speed up enforcing its existing digital laws to regulate tech giants. However, enforcement is hindered by the rule of law, which prioritizes due process over swift action. The European Commission has issued preliminary findings against major tech companies but faces resistance from member states and entrenched interests.
Others point to addressing people's basic needs – affordable housing, well-paid jobs, and effective public services – as a way to preserve liberal democracy. However, solutions reside at the national and local level, making it difficult to deliver quickly due to planning regulations, nimbyism, and cost.
Democracy campaigners propose appealing to public fears by depicting populists as a danger to European values and prosperity. They suggest that liberals must start behaving as if they're in an existential fight, attacking the other side's weaknesses and disdain for the people. However, this approach has limited success, as exposing past corruption or highlighting inconsistencies in extremist platforms hasn't swayed their popularity.
Some argue that simply doing politics better, learning from extremist campaigns, is key to saving liberal democracies. Grasroots activism, like Emmanuel Macron's successful use of grassroots mobilization in his rise to the French presidency, might be a promising approach. However, centrist populism can also backfire, especially for parties with a history of coalition governments.
For now, the tide seems to be flowing strongly against liberal democracies in Europe. As one senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre noted, "We're not doing anything offensive, attacking the other side's weaknesses, their disdain for the people." Perhaps it's time for liberals to take a more aggressive approach to defend their values and way of life.
they said that everyone is so divided over there now its hard to even have a convo without getting heated 
does this mean that europe is just gonna become another usa where stuff like politics and social issues are super toxic all the time? 
. I mean, we were just talking about how social media was gonna change everything, and now it seems like it's taking over our politics too 
. Populism is really growing, and it's scary to think that people are turning away from democracy because they feel left behind 
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. But now it feels like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place 
. The old guard is fighting to preserve their power, while the newbies are trying to shake things up 
.
. We need to take action, and fast! 
I'm all for grassroots activism like Macron did in France 
. It's time for us to get out there and make our voices heard 
.
. We need to call them out for what they are – a threat to democracy 
. Time to stop being so nice and start being bold 
. We need to start holding them accountable ASAP.
. But at the same time, I don't think we can just ignore the fact that these issues are being exploited by populist movements.
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. The entrenched interests of neoliberal policies have created a system where incremental changes are difficult to implement due to planning regulations and cost constraints. Furthermore, grassroots activism may not be enough to counter the populist narrative, as centrist parties often rely on coalition governments that can undermine their efforts.
. Ultimately, it's time for liberal democracies to take a stand against the forces of decay and erosion 
.
. While I agree that Europe needs to crack down on its own internal decay, I think we're oversimplifying things by framing it as an existential fight against populists. I mean, can't we just have a nuanced conversation about the issues people are concerned about? 
It's not as easy as just doing politics better or appealing to public fears, but I think we need a more inclusive approach that acknowledges the complexities of modern life.
and populism i mean what even is going on here? they're framing europe's values as a threat to american interests which is just so messed up 
and have you seen how much inequality there is in europe right now? it's like the whole continent is one big mess 
affordable housing, quality education, healthcare, security of employment... it's all being left behind 
We need to stop focusin on regulatin tech giants and start addressin the root issues 
But its not that simple, got too many different opinions and interests to sort through 
Need somethin like a big reset button to get people back on track 
. The European Commission's digital laws are just a drop in the ocean compared to the multibillion-dollar budgets of major tech companies 
. And have you seen the number of EU citizens who use VPNs to access their own governments' websites? It's like they're already losing trust in the system 
. So, if we can find ways to address these basic needs without resorting to aggressive politics, we might just be able to salvage liberal democracy 
. But it's not going to be easy – the rule of law is still prioritizing due process over swift action 
.
