A top European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the Munich Security Conference a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a somewhat reassuring message to European allies. He struck a less aggressive tone than JD Vance did in lecturing them at the same gathering last year but maintained a firm tone on Washington’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its policy priorities.

Kallas alluded to criticism in the U.S. national security strategy released in December, which asserted that economic stagnation in Europe “is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure.” It suggested that Europe is being enfeebled by its immigration policies, declining birth rates, “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition” and a “loss of national identities and self-confidence.”

  • HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    10 hours ago

    They’re talking “white capitalist civilization”.

    They’re appealing to the far-right of Europe that’s been echoing that sentiment.

    • phutatorius@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      7 hours ago

      They’re talking “white capitalist civilization”.

      That’s a contradiction in terms.

    • linule@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      10 hours ago

      I’m just highlighting the hypocrisy of bringing up civilizational erasure when they’re actively doing exactly that. Western civilization, while associated with whites and capitalism is also associated with not being banana republics.

      • B-TR3E@feddit.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        9 hours ago

        The shit these idiots are addressing by “civilization” is actually culture. Which they don’t have or understand. Don’t make the mistake of adopting their meaning of “ciivilization” which is a fuzzy description of their idea of an ideal society and has nothing to do with civilization itself.

        • LordR@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          7 hours ago

          I’m pretty sure it’s not culture either, it’s just a fantasy of white supremacy and “pure blood”. The same shit that was used by the nazis.

        • linule@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          7 hours ago

          Do they understand what they mean with civilization themselves? It sometimes feels like they want to go back to the middle ages, which tends to be the opposite of what is understood as „civilization“.