Why is Europe so wimpy?

WITH the United States unhinged, China increasingly authoritarian and Russia in full Dr Evil mode, the world desperately needs a good guy to believe in. There is only one candidate for the job: Europe. No other country or region is free, prosperous, endowed with the right values – and large enough to be an example to the world.

But it is not enough for good guys to be good. They also must be strong and determined. And that, I am afraid, is where Europe falls short. Right now, Europe looks anything but strong. It looks wimpy.

First came the so-called trade deal with the US. As my London School of Economics colleague Luis Garicano wrote, it was “not a deal, but a surrender”. Europe made a number of concessions, including acceptance of 15 per cent tariffs on its key exports, in exchange for nothing.