by Amal Zadok
The current war in Ukraine has not only been devastating for Ukrainians but is also steadily corroding Europe itself. Behind the headlines of military offensives, sanctions, and refugee crises lies a deeper structural problem: Europe’s refusal to accept the rise of a multipolar world order. By clinging to the vestiges of US-led unipolar hegemony, European leaders are not merely prolonging the war in Ukraine but accelerating the continent’s own decline—economically, politically, and strategically.
Europe’s Addiction to Unipolar Illusions
At the heart of the issue is Europe’s inherited ideological attachment to the post-Cold War liberal order. European elites internalized the illusion that American-led globalization was permanent, and that geopolitics was merely about spreading Western institutions eastward. NATO enlargement, EU expansion, and neoliberal economic integration were treated as inevitable. Russia’s objections were written off as paranoia, while China’s rise was underestimated or dismissed.
This mindset encouraged hubris. Instead of building a security architecture that included Russia, Europe bet everything on NATO expansion, reinforcing a dangerous zero-sum logic. Instead of accepting the new economic gravity of Asia, Europe doubled down on dependence upon US markets and financial architecture. When the clash finally arrived in Ukraine, Europe’s only instinct was to double down on the same unipolar strategies: sanctions, arms transfers, and alignment with Washington’s demands.
But these strategies no longer work in today’s world. The Global South refuses to isolate Russia. Energy markets rebalanced swiftly, with Moscow redirecting exports to Asia. Sanctions harmed European industries more than they destabilized Russia. Yet European leaders continue to behave as if economic coercion and military escalation can enforce a unipolar order that no longer exists.
Ukraine: The Battlefield of Denial
The catastrophic war in Ukraine is therefore less about Ukraine itself and more about Europe’s inability to come to terms with multipolarity. Recognizing that the post-Cold War order has collapsed would mean negotiating directly with Russia and accepting that Moscow has legitimate security interests. It would mean building dialogue with rising powers who no longer accept Western tutelage. For Europe’s elite, this is ideological heresy. Instead, they cling to the narrative that Ukraine is defending “Western civilization,” a framing that justifies endless escalation, arms shipments, and the sacrifice of diplomacy.
This refusal to adjust, however, only traps Ukraine in an unending war with no path to victory. By pouring weapons into a conflict against a nuclear-armed power with superior industrial resilience, Europe ensures a stalemate of destruction. The longer the war endures, the more Ukraine becomes depopulated, devastated, and dependent, while Europe drains itself economically trying to sustain it.
Economic Suicide in Real Time
Europe has already paid an extraordinary price. Sanctions cut the continent off from cheap Russian energy, a lifeline for its manufacturing base. As a result, industries in Germany, Italy, and France face soaring costs and competitive decline. Deindustrialization is no longer a fear but a lived reality, with factories closing or relocating abroad.
Beyond energy, Europe has surrendered its financial autonomy. Compliance with US sanctions forces European banks and corporations to follow Washington’s dictates even when their own interests suffer. Dependence on expensive American LNG has bound Europe further to the US economy, undermining talk of “strategic autonomy.” Meanwhile, inflation, energy poverty, and public discontent push European societies into political turbulence.
The irony is striking: in trying to weaken Russia, Europe has instead sabotaged its own industrial heartland. Moscow has survived by pivoting toward Asian growth centers, while Europe faces stagflation, competitiveness crises, and rising social unrest.
Political Surrender to Washington
The political fallout is equally severe. Rather than acting as an independent pole in global politics, Europe has reduced itself to a subordinate partner in US strategy. From defense to energy to digital policy, the default answer in Brussels is to align not with Europe’s material interests but Washington’s geopolitical imperatives.
This has hollowed out European claims of sovereignty. Talk of “strategic autonomy,” long championed by figures like Emmanuel Macron, rings hollow when every major policy decision is framed in NATO headquarters or filtered through Washington. European citizens feel the consequences: rising living costs, declining security, and disillusionment with leaders who cannot articulate a vision apart from Washington’s shadow.
Meanwhile, other regions of the world are moving ahead. The BRICS have expanded, creating institutions and partnerships that bypass the Western-centric financial order. The Gulf States, Africa, and Latin America pursue diversified partnerships without deference to the West. While these regions embrace multipolar engagement, Europe isolates itself, clinging to a dying order.
The Road Not Taken
It did not have to be this way. Europe could have adapted to multipolarity by developing a security framework that accommodated Russia while protecting smaller states. It could have leveraged its economic power to build cooperative partnerships across Eurasia. It could have positioned itself as a bridge between the US and the rising powers of Asia and the Global South.
Instead, by refusing to accept multipolarity, Europe rendered itself a casualty of it. Stuck in Cold War reflexes, Europe missed opportunities for diplomacy and adaptation, and now pays the price in economic decline and political irrelevance. Ukraine is the immediate battlefield, but the deeper battle is over Europe’s place in the world order.
The tragedy of Europe’s stance is that, in trying to maintain unipolar dominance, it has undermined its own prosperity and future. The reluctance to accept a multipolar system has perpetuated the war in Ukraine, ruined prospects for peace, and accelerated Europe’s economic and political decline. History rarely waits for those unwilling to adapt. Unless Europe finds the courage to acknowledge the new multipolar reality, the continent risks not only defeat in Ukraine but destruction from within.
Europe now stands at a civilizational crossroads: either awaken to the reality of multipolarity and reclaim agency in shaping its destiny, or march blindly into a future of irrelevance, poverty, and dependency. The choice is no longer between Washington or Moscow—it is between self-preservation or self-destruction.
©️2025 Amal Zadok. All rights reserved.
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