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Europe is looking for a new generation of leaders
Yesterday a trial began in Milan, one of the accused in which is former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The oligarch politician is once again accused of tax evasion and money laundering.Over the past five years, Berlusconi has been the most prominent figure in European politics. Against the backdrop of the increasingly colorless leaders of the Old World, the Italian tycoon stood out both for his extravagant behavior and his bulldog grip. During his five years in power, and his government became the first in the post-war history of Italy to last the entire required period, he managed to adapt the state to himself - both as a politician and as a businessman. The parliamentary elections this spring turned, in essence, into a referendum on confidence in the head of government personally. It is symbolic that his rival was Romano Prodi, the recent head of the European Commission, a man who even outwardly personifies the average European politics of the early 21st century.
Prodi won with a minimal margin, the electorate was divided in half. Considering that Berlusconi has long been suspected of fraud and abuse, and the economic situation in Italy remained difficult during his premiership, the popularity of the ex-premier is impressive. Those who were outraged by Berlusconi's political incorrectness and adventurism turned out to be only slightly more than those who were tired of dull European officials.
In conditions when the boundaries of ideologies are blurred, and the programs of parties differ less and less from each other, it is easiest for voters to focus on persons. But there are practically no truly strong and bright personalities capable of transforming their countries on the European arena.
The last major reformer was, perhaps, Tony Blair, who in 1997 managed to return Labor to power in Great Britain after a long break. In his case, PR achievements were combined with a serious ideological base - the concept of the “third way.” However, the element of political technology also swallowed him up - he will go down in history not as an architect of change, but as a leader who, using the methods of dirty and unscrupulous propaganda, plunged his country into someone else’s war.
The fate of another relatively bright leader of recent times, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, is also indicative. He initiated the necessary reforms, but played in the foreign policy field, focusing too much on his own political (relations with the United States) and economic (relations with Russia) interests. The ex-chancellor's current reputation is, to put it mildly, questionable.
Contemporary European politics is critically lacking in political will and leadership. The current composition of the European Commission, led by former Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso, is considered the weakest in the history of the EU. And this is at a time when a united Europe needs a qualitative breakthrough to overcome the current crisis.
Voters in the Old World increasingly perceive a threat to their usual way of life, and a demand is being formed for decisive leaders who are able to protect tradition, but at the same time make a breakthrough. But the true leaders of change are nowhere to be seen. As a result, they win either by the principle of “by contradiction” (Prodi and Angela Merkel were largely elected because they are “anti-Berlusconi” and “anti-Schroeder”), or those who outdo the rest in external brightness, having created with the help of professionals more attractive image.
Meanwhile, the scale of the challenges, both external and internal, that Europe faces is growing. And answering them requires leadership of the right caliber.