Europe today is a case of lots of presidents yet nobody leading
Your cut-out-and-keep guide to people who no longer matter in the EU
For several years in the early 1990s Deng Xiaoping ran China despite having no formal title other than Most Honorary President of the Chinese Bridge Association. The European Union today is roughly the opposite: a place crawling with presidents, yet nobody in charge. An unexpected power vacuum has befallen the continent in the midst of ongoing war, a budding trade spat with China and a nerve-jangling election in America. Whether in Brussels or in national capitals, those on hand are otherwise engaged, usually with their own domestic difficulties. Can someone—anyone—step up to lead Europe?
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Too many cooks, too little cooking”
Europe June 22nd 2024
- Emmanuel Macron faces heavy losses after a short campaign
- A hard-right 28-year-old could soon be France’s prime minister
- Hard-right parties are entering government across Europe
- Russia’s latest crime in Mariupol: stealing property
- Why southern Europeans will soon be the longest-lived people in the world
- Europe today is a case of lots of presidents yet nobody leading
From the June 22nd 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Vadym Sukharevsky, the man in charge of Ukraine’s drones
Ukraine hopes its new drone command will help it regain the upper hand
The Germany-shaped void at Europe’s heart
Olaf Scholz’s government is punching below its weight in Brussels
Russia sentences Evan Gershkovich to 16 years on bogus spying charges
The Kremlin wants to barter the American reporter for its spies