US President Donald Trump has issued a negative forecast regarding France and Italy amid ongoing protests in Europe. Drawing attention to mass demonstrations, he said the situation in these countries is bad.
“To be honest, these countries may not even preserve their existence,” Trump noted. This statement by the US president has again put discussions about Europe’s future on the agenda.
So what dangers await France and Italy? Could these countries really face the threat of a state crisis and fragmentation?
Political analyst Oktay Gasimov, speaking to Globalinfo.az, said that Donald Trump’s negative attitude toward European countries is evident and that he periodically voices pessimistic forecasts about the region:
“Amid the recent wave of growing protest actions, we hear such forecasts often. I believe Trump’s remarks are exaggerated and somewhat propagandistic in nature. On the other hand, with these statements he wants to keep European countries under pressure.
The protest actions in France, Italy and other European countries have objective causes. The authorities of those countries know these causes well. These countries have faced such protests from time to time. In France, the protest spirit of society is well known to everyone. The student movement in France 60 years ago forced Charles de Gaulle, one of the country’s historic figures, to resign.
Usually such actions can be assessed as the beginning of a new stage in Europe. For example, such actions also occurred until the end of the 20th century, and as a result certain innovations emerged.
I do not believe France and Italy could lose their statehood. There is no basis for that. These countries have a centuries-old history and strong traditions of statehood.”
Oktay Gasimov
The political analyst said that Europe is not currently living through its best period:
“It is going through a complex stage. The reasons are known. The security architecture formed after World War II has found itself in a fragile position. The war in Ukraine has also created an additional burden for Europe.
Europe has enough potential to get out of this situation. But the political elite is currently weakened. The elite is searching for the image of a strong leader. The leaders who operated on the European political scene in the early 2000s have now been replaced by weaker leaders. The emergence of strong leaders, an objective analysis of the current situation and drawing conclusions from it could be important for Europe’s future.
I do not consider Trump’s pessimistic forecasts realistic.”
Turan Rzayev
Globalinfo.az
Read also
