This Is the Dawning of the Age of Zeitenwende
Not Aquarius. A new-old period of realism has returned
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union ended the Cold War and prompted a false diagnosis of the “end of history.” Al-Qaeda’s attacks against the US on Sep. 11, 2001, seemed instead to debut a “clash of civilizations.”
In this brave new-old world, military power will once again assert its primacy in international affairs, with economic, political and “soft” power lining up as its attendants. This will raise the profile of the martial — such as the US — and lower that of the meek, including the mercantile and post-heroic European Union. This is why EU members like Sweden and Finland will join NATO in 2023.
The main difference between this era of Realpolitik and previous ones — from Thucydides’ to Metternich’s and Bismarck’s — is instead the existence of a new and apocalyptic externality. This is anthropogenic climate change, with all its side effects — from zoonotic pandemics to floods, fires, droughts, famines and the rest.
In an ideal world — that is, in a world governed by political idealism — humanity, facing a common threat, would put aside its internecine struggles and unite against the enemy. Under the banner of the UN or some other international structure, the world would cooperate to stop emitting greenhouse gasses and mitigate the havoc already wrought.
After the Zeitenwende, alas, that idealist world is gone.
Andreas Kluth Bloomberg 23 december 2022
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