Europe changed. The world changed. The long road of war that lies before us.
Remembering Stefan Zweig and his book "The World of Yesterday" (1942)
The Author has translated this article from the original Spanish text of an article published here,1 without any use of artificial intelligence. Slight revisions to the English text have been made.
In 1900, Europe and America enjoyed a peace which, except for the Civil War (1861-1865) and the wars against the Indians, had lasted more than 80 years, that is, roughly the same time that passed between 1945 and 2024.
The phenomenon of war had been overcome, people believed, except for a few armed conflicts limited in time and space such as the Crimean War (1853-1856), the War between Prussia and Austria-Hungary (1866), and War between Prussia and France (1870-1871).
To be sure, there were crises, and a naval arms race, but for the great majority of the population in Europe, war seemed almost inconceivable.
The situation was somewhat like that in Europe and America today, except of course for the war in Ukraine. The Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1964-1975) were major wars which, however, did not threaten the homeland. Moreover, they happened a long time ago.
The Gulf War (1990-1991), the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), and the Iraq War (2003-2017) were wars of a different kind. None of these wars was an existential conflict in which there was a real possibility of defeat either for the United Stats or for Europe.
War in the sense of World War I and World War II, in which the future of the Western countries was at stake, was virtually unknown between 1945 and 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. War, in the sense of the destruction of cities and the deaths of hundreds of thousands or millions of people, of our people, was unknown, while memories of World War II had largely faded.
The Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022, accompanied by war crimes and crimes against humanity on a massive scale, gave rise to deep apprehension among the population in Europe, but the European governments (and the U.S.) declared to their peoples their firm commitment to not let themselves get involved in a war with Russia.
Notwithstanding the fact that the energy crisis caused by the Russian sanctions hit many Europeans very hard,2 the populations in Europe, except in the Baltics and in Central and Eastern Europe, had confidence in the declarations of their governments that there would be no threat of war with Russia. It would be sufficient to support Ukraine with military and economic assistance “as long as it takes”.
Or at least so it appeared.
Until French President Emmanuel Macron declared at a summit of defense ministers in Paris on February 26 that European and NATO countries should not exclude the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.3
His commentary gave rise to a storm of criticism for having suggested that the war could come to touch leaders and their countrymen personally.
Suddenly, the leaders and their populations were forced to think not only of Ukraine’s war of self-defense, but also of their own self-defense in a potential war launched by Russia against them.
Together with doubts and delays regarding the promised $60 billion dollars of American military aid for Ukraine, blocked by Republicans in the House acting on the instructions of Donald Trump, and the realistic possibility that Trump might return to the White House in January 2025, the war seemed closer and closer, and even to be “Our War”, as Nicolas Tenzer argued forcefully in his new book, Nôtre Guerre (2024).4
Slowly, Europeans began to understand that the road to peace is going to be very long, and that it might pass through long stretches of war.
Although Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, and Georgia earlier in 2008, only now are Europeans beginning to understand that War has returned to Europe, and that it is going to accompany each of them for decades if not for the rest of their lives.
Europe changed, in a profound sense. The world changed.5
As in 1914.
As in 1939.
And it will never again be the same as it was.
James Rowles is a former Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and professor of international law at other universities.
James Rowles, “NUEVO--Europa cambió. El mundo cambió. El largo camino de guerra que tenemos por delante.; Recordando a Stefan Zweig, "El Mundo de Ayer" (1942),” Trenchant Observations, March 13, 2024.
See Patrick Wintour, “German living standards plummeted after Russia invaded Ukraine, say economists; Energy price shocks had huge knock-on effect, with real wages falling further in 2022 than in any year since 1950, says report,” The Guardian, March 18, 202 (13:32 GMT).
See James Rowles, “With Ukraine on its back foot, it's time to take the war to Putin; Macron may be a flawed messenger, but he's got the right message,” Trenchant Observations, March 8, 2024.
Nicolas Tenser, Notre Guerre: L crime et l’oubli—pour une pensée stratégique (Paris: Éditions de l’Observatoire/Humensis, 2024).
See also,,
1)Laure Mandeville, “Weit über die Ukraine hinaus ist etwas sehr viel Tiefgreifenderes im Gange”: Der politische Philosoph Nicolas Tenzer erklärt den größten Fehler im strategischen Denken des Westens: die Annahme, dass Putin in der Ukraine einen klassischen territorialen Krieg führt. Und stellt klar, dass es eine Chance gegeben hätte, den russischen Machthaber von seinem Vorhaben abzuhalten,” Die Welt, den 11. Februar 2024 (14:50 Uhr (Interview mit Nicholas Tenzer, Übersetzung von von Le Figaro);
2) Laure Mandeville, “‘Far beyond Ukraine, something much more profound is going on”; The West must recognize the extent of the “total war” that Russia’s ruler Vladimir Putin is leading against Ukraine, demands the French author and political philosopher Nicolas Tenzer in his book ‘Notre guerre”,” Die Welt, February 11, 2024 (2:50 p.m.). Interview with Nicolas Tenzer, translated from French article published in Le Figaro;
3) Laure Mandeville, “Nicolas Tenzer: ‘La question du mal est une porte d’entrée pour l’analyse stratégique’,” Le Figaro, le 1 février 2024 (18:57);
4) Laure Mandeville, “Nicolas Tenzer: ‘The question of evil is a gateway to strategic analysis’,” Le Figaro, February 1, 2024 (18:57).
See Stefan Zweig, ThecWorld of Yesterday; Memories of a European.(1942) (Die Welt von Gestern; Erinnerungen eines Europäers, 1942). For an excellent summary and critical review, see “The World of Yesterday: a brief review of a 1942 book,” herthhub.eu, November 26 2022.
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