debtor multiple In the early 1990s, Deng Xiaoping ruled China despite having no formal title other than the Supreme Honorary Chairman of the China Bridge Association. Today's European Union is almost the exact opposite: a place with many presidents but no one in charge. Amid ongoing wars, a budding trade dispute with China, and a nerve-wracking American election, an unexpected power vacuum has emerged on the continent. Whether in Brussels or in the nations' capitals, those there are usually busy elsewhere with domestic issues. Could someone, anyone, step up to lead Europe?
If you wanted to talk to Europe, it's long been difficult to know who to call. But that's actually part of the charm. Centuries ago, the only way to gauge who was dominant on the continent was to measure the size of the army that had advanced the furthest into a neighbor's territory (often Germany). After World War II, as fighting raged, european union Meeting convened to discuss future formats european union At the conference, the question “Who controls Europe?” elicited a mostly cacophony of answers. The federalists like to think of it as the leaders of the bloc's main institutions in Brussels. The British always suspected a Franco-German axis, which they could never break. The French, european union The initiative is led by naturalthe French. The Germans stand ostentatiously in the corner, happy to believe it. Nationalists like Orbán of Hungary and Giorgia Meloni of Italy are convinced their time has come, given the rightward shift in recent European elections. Members of the European Parliament are adamant that they should. The right answer is in constant flux, and Brussels-based journalists are paid employees.
