Geopolitics

True democracy is in full setback; sometimes in broad daylight, others almost without us realizing it. It is threatened from the top by despotic and corrupt governments (most of them elected) and from the bottom by a distracted and uninformed population. It is time to wake up and fight from civil society and from suitable institutions that are still standing.

If presents trends continue, Europe will become, as Spain once was according to Ortega, a geopolitical invertebrate: an animal lacking a backbone, like a big mollusk.

Reader beware: the following analysis will not be delivered at Davos.  A three ring circus is a circus with simultaneous performances in three rings. It has come to mean something wild, confusing, engrossing, or entertaining. It is dangerous as well. It is therefore an apt image for the world today.

Deceit is an inherent part of politics. Today, it is boosted by social media. A great effort of civic reflection, clarification, opposing organization and mobilization are needed to counteract its dire consequences.

The old distinction between hard power (military force) and soft power (power of inspiration) has been replaced by the distinction between brute force and efficiency.