By Douglas V. Gibbs
Europe stands at the edge of an existential cliff. The pressures bearing down on the continent come from every direction, and nearly all of them are the result of Europe’s own decisions. Nations, like individuals, must live with the consequences of the beds they make. Europe now finds itself lying in one it can no longer rise from.
The crisis extends far beyond open-border immigration policies that have allowed waves of unvetted migrants, including individuals shaped by hostile or extremist ideologies, to enter the heart of the continent. It extends beyond the continent’s embrace of ideological “wokeness,” which has grown so rigid that dissenting opinions are now treated as criminal offenses. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), social media platforms face heavy penalties if they fail to remove content deemed “illegal,” a category that increasingly includes speech authorities simply dislike. Fines, device confiscation, and even prison time await those who repeatedly express views outside the approved narrative.
Europe’s moral confusion is further illustrated by its approach to abortion. In Britain, authorities have arrested Christians for silently praying within 150 meters of a clinic, charging them with “influencing” a person’s decision to seek abortion services. When even silent prayer is treated as a threat, a society has lost its moral compass.
Yet these cultural and political failures are only part of the story. Europe’s deeper undoing lies in its long-standing socialist economic model and its growing technological stagnation. Productivity is falling. Innovation is shifting elsewhere. GDP per capita has declined so sharply that Mississippi, America’s lowest-income state, now surpasses several major European economies as well as the EU average. A continent that once led the world in industry and invention is now watching its economic relevance slip away.
Demographically, the picture is even more dire. Native European birthrates hover around 1.3 children per woman, far below replacement level, while migrant populations grow at dramatically higher rates. Europe is losing ground in population, technology, industrial output, and defense capability. It has laid down its armor, its sword, and its will to stand against geopolitical adversaries such as China, or against extremist movements that exploit Europe’s openness and demographic decline.
After generations of expanding social programs, centralized planning, and ideological conformity, Europe has reached the predictable end of the socialist cycle: rapid collapse. As its institutions weaken and its cultural confidence evaporates, the continent risks leaving itself vulnerable to forces eager to reshape it in their own image.
Europe is not merely facing a political crisis. It is facing a civilizational one.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
I have heard several people saying we need to watch closer what is happening in Europe, so it doesn’t gain ground here in the US. I feel sad for the people of Europe, but how much of their problems were caused by not speaking out when had the chance. Like in this country it seems more and more if speak out about things happening, and that does not align with what the other side wants, those people speaking out are called names or even threatened. To me it seems this country, in certain places especially, is going to close to the path Europe has taken. I hope my feelings are wrong.