Europe once ruled the world, but nowadays Chinese President Xi Jinping sees the continent as a conquest. He has been buying influence for years and is trying to break up the European Union. Russia feels threatened and President Putin is conducting covert operations to disrupt NATO. Both think that a strong Europe stands in the way of their global ambitions. President Trump, meanwhile, made it easy for the Russians and Chinese by turning away from his closest allies and launching an attack on European institutions.

With the continent under siege from all sides, political leaders are grappling with an answer. The corona crisis has added to the challenge even further. In addition to a geopolitical, financial and political crisis, now there is a health crisis to deal with, while Brexit and climate change have still not been resolved. Is Europe strong enough to face all these challenges? Will we remain a main player in the world or will we become the playground of the world powers? A lot is at stake for European citizens, because the latter means less prosperity and more insecurity.

The Battle of Europe is a plea to face reality and make new choices, written by one of the greatest geopolitical thinkers of our time.