Europe Losing?

Europe Losing?

Europe is an old continent, steeped in its history and except for the last 50 years or so, its primacy in world matters, economic and social orders. This item will discuss the 'except for the last 50 years' part of Europe's history and its effects on the continent.

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If one analyses the underlying theme in all these headlines, one can see Europe's distinct lack of understanding of the current world order. So what does Europe seem to want? A homogenous, agnostic, mono chromatic, local as opposed to global and a sexually uninhibited society? There is nothing wrong with it. As a matter of fact, I totally believe that Europe will be a much better place if this condition was prevalent than what is. But it would be luxury if what I want is also what I have.

The problem here is not that Europe is racist/monolingual/protectionist society but its inability to change itself for the realities of the world. What is even worse is that Europe seems to be blind to the effects and is quite content suffering with the consequences. It thinks it can have what it wants.

There has been a DTI report recently that UK is losing out on its investment possibilities in India because of its false perception that India is just a low cost labour market and thereby losing out on strategic intellectual capital that India offers and not to mention a market of 1.1 billion. One in 100 births in the UK happen at home under no medical supervision due to the shortages of midwives and nurses, yet the home office refuses to issue work permits to nurses abroad. Volkswagen has been thinking for nearly three years now to invest in India and in the meantime Hyundai, Ford Motor Company, Proton, Skoda and a lot more have already had their presence in India. Denmark just lost a market of 1.1 billion Indians because of their callous expression of ‘freedom of speech’.

What we see here is not just an inability to gauge the world order and its levers, but an incorrigible degree of complacence which is hurting Europe’s interests. It has already lost to China as a market leader and conservative estimates put India to surpass EU by 2015. Its now or never to Europe to wake up to work with countries outside Western Europe in a more equitable fashion.

Is there something that can be done? Education would help. I am not talking education as taught in schools. That syllabus is a product of same callousness I have been highlighting. I am talking people of non-European origin helping their European counterparts understand the real world and help them engage the countries for the mutual benefit of both Europe and outside. This needs to start at a grass root level with people looking at other cultures in a non-monochromatic charity mindset but in a more equitable fashion in terms of trade, professionalism and education. Studies show 70% of British people have friends only in their race i.e. a white British will have only white friends, a brown British will have only brown friends. Culture can start changing from here at a more fundamental level. Studies show the desegregation in American schools achieved empathy and understanding of black and white cultures and helped foster a much stronger America and an America that understands the world much better because it understands all elements within itself.

Europe is losing its engagement levers with the rest of the world and it has to wake up and wake up now.