Most people I know either looked up to Japan, Korea or China. China dominates Europe on pretty much everything except high-end prestige brands: Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Rolls Royce, … I can’t remember the last time someone was excited about a European phone or band or TV show.
Europe has nice weather and nice sceneries but that’s not an achievement or something worth admiring them or their leadership for. Just plain geographic luck.
If your definition of democracy and freedom is aiding and abetting genocide, war crimes, military interventions, and resource theft.
I am in a generous mood, let’s assume non-Europeans aren’t equal people and so the crimes committed against them don’t count. How does [European-style]* democracy and freedom guarantee better outcomes? Europe has been experimenting with democracy for over 2000 years -not continuously obviously-, how are the outcomes today better than when they had Socrates poisoned?
* I would argue that the PRC is a better democratic model than Europe with better outcomes.
Most people I know either looked up to Japan, Korea or China. China dominates Europe on pretty much everything except high-end prestige brands: Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Rolls Royce, … I can’t remember the last time someone was excited about a European phone or band or TV show.
If you are a materialist or high tech driven, you may be right. But the value of Europe is not just products. why are so many people on the move from china to the EU? https://balkaninsight.com/2026/02/13/as-one-door-closes-another-opens-chinese-migrants-crossing-the-balkans/
Europe has nice weather and nice sceneries but that’s not an achievement or something worth admiring them or their leadership for. Just plain geographic luck.
Europe is a bastion of democracy and freedom. Certainly better than the Arab world, china or nowadays USA.
If your definition of democracy and freedom is aiding and abetting genocide, war crimes, military interventions, and resource theft.
I am in a generous mood, let’s assume non-Europeans aren’t equal people and so the crimes committed against them don’t count. How does [European-style]* democracy and freedom guarantee better outcomes? Europe has been experimenting with democracy for over 2000 years -not continuously obviously-, how are the outcomes today better than when they had Socrates poisoned?
* I would argue that the PRC is a better democratic model than Europe with better outcomes.
okay mr borrell let’s get you back to bed
“So many” is doing a lot of work.
It’s literally hundreds of people, and it only jumped from dozens after Trump’s tariff regime began.
Out of a country of over a billion people, that’s basically nothing.