The Real Existential Threat Facing Europe

US President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategyd  argument rests on a fundamental misreading of Europe’s current predicament. 

While the European Union does face an existential threat, it has little to do with immigration or cultural politics. The real threat facing Europe lies in its own economic and technological backwardness.


Whether the US or China currently leads the industries of the future remains open to debate. Beyond that, innovation is concentrated in countries like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, India, and Israel.

As Ernest Hemingway famously observed, bankruptcy happens “gradually and then suddenly.” 

So far, Europe’s technological decline has been gradual. But if it fails to confront its structural weaknesses, today’s slow erosion could give way to a sudden and irreversible loss of economic relevance.

Nouriel Roubini Project Syndicate Dec 30, 2025

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-most-serious-problem-not-immigration-but-technological-backwardness-by-nouriel-roubini-2025-12


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