A stark warning has been issued by former German Foreign Minister and current Chairman of the Atlantikbrücke, Sigmar Gabriel, urging European leaders to undertake a period of substantial reform, characterizing the continent’s current trajectory as precarious in a rapidly shifting global landscape. Gabriel argues that Europe has entered a “post-American age” marked by a strategic withdrawal from the United States and a consequential need for radical introspection and adaptation.
Writing for the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Gabriel underscored that the core deficiency isn’t financial resources but a lack of political courage to enact transformative policies. He cautions that without such robust action, Europe risks succumbing to a resurgence of nationalism and being eclipsed by the ascendant powers of the 21st century: the United States, China, Russia and India.
The impending decision regarding the Mercosur trade agreement exemplifies this predicament. Gabriel criticizes the EU’s tendency to prioritize normative pronouncements and attempt to impose European values onto other nations, arguing that such an approach is no longer viable. Condemning the two-decade stagnation of the Mercosur negotiations, he argues that the insistence on achieving identical environmental and social standards across South America is a misguided obstacle to vital trade relationships.
Gabriel’s most trenchant criticism is leveled at the newly unveiled American national security strategy. He frames the US shift not simply as a disengagement from Europe, but as a deliberate effort to interfere in the internal affairs of European member states, effectively aiming to dismantle the European Union. He directly parallels this strategy with the Kremlin’s documented support of anti-European political factions, suggesting a coordinated effort to undermine the continent’s stability.
The former SPD leader concludes that urgency and decisive action are paramount. He insists that Europe must redefine its role and adopt a more aggressively proactive approach-a “Rosskur”- to navigate the turbulent waters of the post-American era, lest it be swept aside by the currents of a new geopolitical order.