The European Leadership Is the Don Quixote of Our Times
In Cervantes’ famous 17th-century Spanish novel Don Quixote, the self-proclaimed knight of a bygone era finds himself in countless embarrassing situations as he persistently confuses prosaic reality with the grand illusions of his imagination. He mistakes a flock of sheep for an enemy army, windmills for giants, and a lady in a sedan chair for a kidnapped princess. Time and again, he draws his sword—only to sow chaos and sink deeper into trouble.
It is difficult not to draw parallels between Don Quixote and today’s European leaders, who continue to make one geopolitical misstep after another.
The Eurocrats in Brussels now consider Trump and the MAGA movement as Europe’s chief threat. Undeniably, Trump pursues American interests with a heavy hand, as evidenced in the latest trade negotiations. Yet, even under his leadership, the United States remains the guarantor of European security—not to mention the deeper cultural and civilizational ties that continue to bind the two sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Brussels treats Hungary—a democratic member state of just 10 million—as a major threat to the Union, while casting Ukraine as a flawless princess.
To be sure, Ukraine has suffered severely from Russian aggression. However, corruption, deeply undemocratic practices, arbitrary uses of state power, and violations of minority rights remain widespread. These realities undermine the narrative that Ukraine is the “child of democracy” and deserves full fast-track EU membership.
Back in 2019, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that under her leadership, the Commission would become a geopolitical actor. The past six years suggest otherwise. Like Don Quixote, Brussels has confused posturing and appearances with real power and strategy. European leaders have emblazoned the EU’s shield with the slogans of a green revolution and moral liberalism and have repeatedly wielded unelected centralization as a sword against every perceived challenge.
Certainly, the EU has notable limitations compared to the world’s major powers—the United States, China, and Russia—particularly in the domain of hard power. Not all shortcomings of Europe can be laid at Brussels’ feet. Yet whatever strengths and leverage Europe once held have often been misapplied—used at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and for the wrong reasons. Tactics have been mistaken for strategy; strategic options misread as existential crises.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the EU’s approach to Ukraine. It has based its strategy on the illusory goal of defeating Russia on the battlefield—while sacrificing more existential priorities: its long-term economic strength through sanctions; its defense capabilities by reacting too late and focusing excessively on Ukraine; its remaining strategic autonomy vis-à-vis the United States; and part of its geopolitical leverage in relation to China.
The major geopolitical developments of this summer lay bare the consequences. As the Israeli-Iranian war escalated and even drew U.S. intervention, Europe was conspicuously absent. When high-stakes negotiations over the future of transatlantic trade reached their peak, the EU appeared caught off guard—despite signs as early as Trump’s election that turbulent times lay ahead. Neither carrots nor sticks were deployed in a timely or credible manner. And now, Europe finds itself excluded from the upcoming Trump-Putin summit, where Ukraine and European security will undoubtedly be discussed. Just as Prime Minister Viktor Orban predicted a year ago: if Europe doesn’t engage Russia and place its Russia strategy on a more realistic footing, a deal will be made above its head.
This recent track record is not a coincidence; it reflects deeper structural and ideological weaknesses. Illusory ideological commitments have weakened Europe’s muscles (its economic and military power), its bones (the societal resilience of its nation-states), and its heart (its Judeo-Christian heritage). Like Don Quixote, Europe clings to fantasies: that it remains a global force to be reckoned with, that old paradigms and values remain universally valid—or will, in the end, triumph.
But the world will not wait for Europe to awaken.
* Gergely Varga (PhD) is a security policy expert living in Switzerland with a research focus on transatlantic relations and European security. He was previously senior research fellow and programme manager of the Euroatlantic Program at the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest, and was a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC. He currently works at the Hungarian embassy in Bern.