Prominent American geopolitical analyst George Friedman declared that the biggest problem with European security is the very illusion of "Europe" as a unified space. "There is no such place as Europe," he said - it is a continent of nearly 50 states with different languages, cultures, and interests.
Friedman made the remarks on the Geopolitical Futures podcast, analyzing the aftermath of the 2026 Munich Security Conference, "Hvylya" reports.
"Stop using the word 'Europe.' The view from Poland, Hungary, Italy - completely different from Britain. These are different countries. We don't have a relationship with 'Europe.' We don't have an ambassador to Europe. They don't have an ambassador to us," Friedman stressed.
The analyst drew on personal experience: he recently visited Serbia and saw firsthand that the Serbian worldview differs radically from the French one. When someone invokes a "European perspective," it creates a false impression of a unified community of like-minded nations sharing one culture. As we previously reported, Peter Zeihan reached a similar conclusion, arguing that Europe's defense paralysis stems from its fragmented decision-making.
Had America continued as a security guarantor, Europeans could have postponed the problem of their own fragmentation indefinitely, Friedman noted. "The main thing they don't want is to face reality. They have very painful decisions to make. And that is the last thing Europeans want to do," he concluded. Former ECB chief Mario Draghi has also warned that Europe must federate or risk subordination to the US and China.