Truth be told, most people my age are not interested in philosophy, politics, and history. There is generally a lack of young people thinking about philosophy, politics, and history. Unfortunately, knowledge of these topics will be crucial to navigating the complex and changing nature of the global geopolitical situation. In my desire to learn about these topics, I picked up an old book that used to be one of my grandfather’s favorites. Before reading it, I thought it would probably be a moderately interesting and somewhat thought provoking book. But after reading it, I knew I would never forget the invaluable information contained in the book. The predictions it made about the future of Europe invariably were true and I think they will hold true for years to come.

The book is called The Europeans by Luigi Barzini. Barzini was an Italian journalist, writer, and politician, who is known for delving into the complicated and nuanced national identity of nations and producing stunningly accurate characterizations of those nations. In his book The Europeans, he overviews the character of six important groups of people: the British, the French, the Germans, the Italians, the Dutch, and the Americans. He outlines the specific reasons for each country as to why a united Europe has been an all but impossible task to achieve.

To give some context as to why I read this book, my grandfather grew up poor in inner city Cleveland. He realized that if he wanted to make something of himself, he needed to educate himself through books. He developed a lifelong habit of daily learning and reading, and he read widely about topics from history to religion to philosophy. One of the books he especially liked and talked about often was The Europeans. He even highlighted poignant parts of the book he felt captured an especially important idea.

So, what did I learn in The Europeans that was so timeless? What predictions came true? His characterization of the relationship between the United States and Europe is one that rings just as true today as it did in 1984 when he wrote the book.

It is important to note that he includes the United States in the discussion of his book as it is a fundamentally western country that’s actions are of great importance to the security and future of Europe.

In describing the relationship between Europe and the U.S. Barzini emphasizes the importance of the presence of the United States in Europe to its security. He talks about how the Europeans desire the military presence of the united states in Europe, given the threat of the soviets. While Germany historically provided a buffer between the soviets and the rest of Europe, a weakened Germany (following world war 2) left the rest of Europe far more vulnerable than they were comfortable with. Thus, the United States was needed to provide security for Europe.

However, he states that the Untied States is not always interventionist in its protection of Europe. To Barzini, “the truth perhaps, is that the United States can be both things, isolationist and interventionist, but one never knows which it will be and when.” This leaves Europe in a constant state of fearful anticipation when the United States takes on a more isolationist role. According to Barzini, when the United states is isolationist, the Europeans “feel abandoned. They lament the fact that nobody leads the Western world any more. They suspect the United States is forgetting its global responsibilities.” This can be seen as the Trump administration openly criticized and withdrew some support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. This was perceived by leaders of Europe as abandoning European security and leaving Europe open to the threat of the Russians. While I personally believe that the perceived threat of the Russians is outdated and overemphasized, it shows how dependent Europe is on the United states for security and how panicked they get when the guarantee of that security seems to be wavering.

The relationship between Europe and the United States is somewhat more complicated than simply Europe desiring protection form the United States. While they certainly do want the protection of the Americans, they somewhat resent the dependence on them and are suspicious of them. It is for this reason why, he explains, the Germans are resentful of their dependence on American support, and the French have a “reflex to oppose anything the United States wants.”

So Europe is both dependent on the United states, feeling fearful when protection is not guaranteed, and resentful of the dependence on the United States. This paradoxical situation, he says, could be ameliorated by European unity. He says that “Europe should clearly evolve one common will, speak with one calm majestic voice… set up authoritative common democratic institutions… adopt one common currency, and set up one redoubtable defense establishment.”​ To Barzini, the answer to Europe’s problems is unity. However, this is not such a simple task.

In The Europeans, Barzini explains the unique and robust cultures that each European nation possesses. Each nation has pride in its respective unique history, and none of the major nations in Europe want to give up their unique culture. The innate differences in the peoples of Europe make it near impossible for them to unite. It is for this reason why I don’t believe total European unity can happen, except in the face of a huge global threat. Even the threat of the Soviet Union did not motivate the Europeans enough to forget their differences and unite, so it will take a threat even greater than the Soviet Union to cause this to happen. Whether or not such a threat will emerge is uncertain, but if it does it’s certainly possible that the Europeans manage to forget their differences and join together against the common enemy.