Europe and the End of the Age of Innocence

323 Pages·2018·2.07 MB·English

by  Francesco M. Bongiovanni

Francesco M. Bongiovanni
Europe and the End of the Age of
Innocence
Francesco M. Bongiovanni
http://www.francescobauthor.com
ISBN 978-3-319-74369-1 e-ISBN 978-3-319-74370-7
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74370-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018934899
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
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Endorsements For Europe And The End Of The Age Of Innocence ‘The
European Union’s mood has improved as its economies pick up, the euro crisis
fades, migration and terrorism fears pass and even Brexit no longer provokes
concern. In his new book, Francesco Bongiovanni warns against complacency.
The gap between Europe’s elites and its citizens is glaring; north-south and east-
west tensions persist; the euro and migration crises could easily return. All this
makes plans to build a united states of Europe wholly unrealistic. His gloomy
message should be heeded, especially in Brussels, Berlin and Paris.’
—John Peet, Political Editor, The Economist ‘Severe but necessary. An
extreme lucidity that should bring Europe, through its ever-closer union, to
political initiatives able to safeguard its traditional values and new common
interests in the midst of an inescapable universal revolution.’
—Georges Berthoin, Former chief of staff of Jean Monnet—a founding
father of Europe—former High Representative of the European Economic
Community with the United Kingdom ‘Europe—as presently constructed—is no
longer fit for purpose. With his trademark style, Bongiovanni takes an
unflinching look at what led the continent to this moment. Do not read this book
if you’re optimistic about Europe’s future—but read this book if you care about
that future.’
—Ian Bremmer, President and founder of Eurasia Group, a leading global
political risk research and consulting firm ‘Francesco Bongiovanni’s The End of
the Age of Innocence presents an unsettling but coherent view of Europe’s
future. It is a view which is not usually heard in polite European circles but one
which is often heard privately. Bongiovanni worries about what he sees as a
fight for the soul of Europe.’
—George Yeo, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Republic of
Singapore ‘Bongiovanni is right: the West in general doesn’t seem to know
anymore what it stands for or where it wants to go. Europe is particularly lost
and adrift. This book provides a valuable and timely wake-up call. Europeans
ignore it at their own peril.’
—Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy NUS
‘A brilliant reconstruction of an inevitable disaster or a doomsday
interpretation of the Union’s future? The analysis goes to the roots of the socio-
economic European malaise that threatens our common dream, the salvation of
which desperately requires acts of political bravery.’
—Leonardo Maisano, European affairs commentator Endorsements For The
Decline And Fall Of Europe :
‘It has become impossible to pretend otherwise: Europe is in steep decline.
The Continental dream of economic prosperity, social security and international
good citizenship has given way to a nightmare of chronic unemployment,
unsustainable debt, demographic decline, political paralysis and street violence.
In The Decline and Fall of Europe , Francesco Bongiovanni offers the most
perceptive account to date of a Europe that indulged too many illusions and is
now awakening to bankruptcy.’
—Bret Stephens, Foreign Affairs Columnist, Wall Street Journal
‘Provocative and alarming, a wake-up call for the twenty-first century.’
—Nils Pratley, The Guardian
‘An important read for anyone interested in the future of Europe.’
—John Paulson, President, Paulson & Co. Inc ‘A very lively and witty
survey of Europe’s ills.’
—Dominique Moisi, author of The Geopolitics of Emotions ‘A thoughtful
and provocative cautionary tale that Americans should read if they want to see
how our own increasing regulatory structure, accelerating entitlements, and
ballooning national debt could lead to the same decline that the author so clearly
describes in Europe. Francesco Bongiovanni mixes common sense with an
experienced eye for the details that show how utopianism overwhelmed the
benign postwar vision of a united Europe and resulted in a nightmare. His
description of the EU bureaucracy as an organization of 40,000 souls, a budget
of 126 billion Euros, and the ambition to control every part of European life is
lamentable proof of Kafka’s vision.’
—John Lehman, Former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration
and a member of the 9/11 Commission ‘In view of the current crisis in the
European Union in general and the Euro zone in particular, the arrival of this
book could not be more timely. It is a comprehensive review of the way the
initial favourable development of the EU has gone wrong and the range of
problems it currently faces. Should be read by every MP in the Union’s 27
countries!’
—Stephen Valdez, author of An Introduction to Global Financial Markets
‘Revealing. A valuable tool for those who are interested in understanding the
roots of the current Eurocrisis and for decision-makers engaged in limiting its
bitter consequences.’
—Lucio Caracciolo, Limes, Italian Review of Geopolitics , Editor-in-chief
This book is dedicated to all of you, people of goodwill and reason, who seem to
be fewer and fewer.
You have the right to know and the duty to try to understand.
About the Author
Francesco M. Bongiovanni has lived in Europe, Asia, the USA and in the Arab
world. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate in engineering. A former
investment banker, he subsequently worked as an entrepreneur and as an advisor
in strategy and finance. He has been made a Knight of the Order of St Charles
for his contribution to humanitarian and biodiversity protection endeavours. He
is an author and a composer of classical symphonic music and jazz.
Contents
1 Introduction
Part I The Trilogy
2 The Awakening
3 The Tsunami
4 Barbarians in the City
5 The Rise of Alternative Politics
6 Ensuring the Survival of a ‘Europe of Values’
Part II A Brief History of How to Mess Things Up
7 The Island That Couldn’t Get Far Enough
8 Uber Alles? Not So Fast!
9 The More It Changes, the More It Stays the Same
10 The Gas Wars
11 The Trump Card
12 Conclusion
Sources and Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index
© The Author(s) 2018
Francesco M. Bongiovanni, Europe and the End of the Age of Innocence, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-
319-74370-7_1
1. Introduction
Francesco M. Bongiovanni1
(1) http://www.francescobauthor.com

Any fool can know. The point is to understand.
Albert Einstein
Apart from deserving my gratitude, anyone who read my first book, The Decline
and Fall of Europe , is entitled to ask whether this sequel is really justified. Have
things changed so much since the book was published in 2012 that a new one is
necessary, or is this just the old dish being warmed up? To this legitimate
question the returning reader needs a clear answer—as much as I needed one
before deciding to embark on this new writing adventure. The fact is, sadly, that
there have been dramatic new developments—most as sudden as they were
unexpected—which have caused Europe to find itself today on a significantly
more worrisome trajectory than the one I had anticipated in my first book.
Interestingly, some of the people who, back then, suggested that The Decline
and Fall of Europe was too pessimistic now say it was perhaps not pessimistic
enough. This change in mood reflects the simple truth that, since 2012, the
situation in Europe has considerably deteriorated across many dimensions and
the changes are starting to directly and visibly affect a vast number of people.
On top of a general worsening in ways that had largely been predicted at the
time, new developments have piled up that may take the continent into
uncharted, dangerous territory. I am therefore afraid that the answer to the above
question is that it is high time to re-examine the situation in Europe .
The Decline and Fall of Europe was intended to be a 360 degree tour,
offering a balanced description of the European ‘system’ and of the intractable
challenges facing Europe, which were leading to inexorable decline across any