Europe and "the world"

Macron looks tough

It is amusing to observe how European leaders and, indeed, the "thinking" population of Europe believe that they are responsible for managing the world. Every weekday I receive via email a daily digest of news reports from a German site called euro|topics. (The link here is to the English version.) Every weekday there is a topic, and two of the recent topics prompt the observation with which I began.

For instance, on August 28 the question was "Was the Paris refugee summit a success?" Thus, the photo above.

Apparently European and African leaders met in Paris to discuss ways of stemming migration across the Mediterranean. The summit came up with this response to the refuge problem: Asylum applications can now be processed directly in African states. Commentators have reacted variously, "welcoming the move," but doubting that it can be implemented. Others are aghast, and call the meeting "the summit of disgrace." Among the different news outlets weighing in were The Guardian, Deutschlandfunk, La Stampa, Kurier (Austria), and a Czech newspaper. In other words, these are all the responses of editorial writers of European media.

The UN Security Council meditates

On August 30, today, the question was "How should the world deal with North Korea?"

Indeed.


This topic came on the heels of North Korean launching a missile over Japan and the Pacific. Perhaps I am being supercilious: certainly we should be worried about North Korea. But Europe has got itself in a morass because of Angela Merkel's welcome to immigrants. The reaction to the morass is always a summit. The picture here is apparently a meeting of the UN Security Council. I am sure they will figure things out.

Photos: picture-alliance/dpa