New Eastern Europe - November-December 2017

149

of the German extreme right-wing, an-
ti-migration party (AfD), have shown
(unfortunately) that Krastev is right in
saying that “in the age of migration, de-
mocracy started to operate as an instru-
ment of exclusion, not inclusion”.
Just as he points to the faults of the
liberal elite, Krastev is also critical of the
Europe’s left, which – in his view – has

also proved unable to adequately respond

to the fear generated by the migration

crisis, giving way to extreme right-wing

movements and other anti-establish-

ment forces. The latter has been tak-

ing place despite, as Krastev mentions,

the anti-capitalist sentiments that have

skyrocketed particularly among young-

er generations.

Compromise

When reading the book, the ques-
tion of what should be done to avoid
the collapse of the current European or-
der is the first one that comes to mind.
While it is far from perfect, the current
system comes across as the best one we
have had so far. In response to this ques-
tion, Krastev offers simple advice, but
needless to say it is difficult to imple-
ment in practice. He writes: “What will
increase the likelihood of the Europe-
an Union surviving will be the spirit of
compromise”.
In an ideal world, this recommenda-
tion should be taken into account by all
European leaders (those who are open-
ly supporting the current political ar-
rangement on the continent and those
who question it). Should this not be the
case, we are certainly doomed for what
Krastev refers to as “after Europe” –
meaning a continent that has both lost

its centrality in global politics and the

confidence of Europeans themselves.

For the moment, polls still show that

European societies would not be willing

to welcome that. Hopefully, this time

around their elite will recognise the peo-

ple’s concerns and adequately react. Oth-

erwise, we may be soon reading anoth-

er book by Ivan Krastev, and one that

not necessarily discusses a possible, but

quite likely real, disintegration.

Iwona Reichardt is the deputy editor in chief of New Eastern Europe.

When reading the book, the

question of what should be

done to avoid the collapse of

the current European order is

the first to come to mind.

The disintegration train has left Brussels, Iwona Reichardt Eastern Café