È la domanda che  Judy Dempsey rivolge a tre esperti di politica internazionale:  Stefan Lehne (Visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe), Stephen Szabo (Executive director of the Transatlantic Academy) e Gianni Riotta.

Il commento di Gianni Riotta:

Yes, indeed.

Social solidarity, at least, is still intact. Oxfam is a veteran NGO and one of the best at fighting poverty all over the world. Humanitarian organizations, religious charities, and local volunteers across the continent strive to nurture the poor, welcome immigrants, and comfort the elderly.

Political solidarity is another matter. Germany will not help Greece in a show of solidarity. After World War II, the United States did not help Germany, Japan, and Italy—former foes—out of solidarity. Washington decided to foster a new world order to face Russia, and it worked. 

So in Europe, nobody will act out of solidarity, and that is quite OK. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis aren’t losing their hands because Ebenezer Scrooge Europe is short-changing them. The Greek tragedy unfolds along two plotlines. European leaders lack the political genius to muster a plan to keep Athens in the eurozone; at the same time, they continue to push for reforms amid the economic turmoil that the country’s elites managed to concoct. Tsipras cozied up to a loony Stalinist crowd and, goose-stepping alongside the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, managed to create quite a mess.

So don’t blame a lack of solidarity for Europe’s disorder. Blame mediocrity from the EU, and blame populism and a lack of realism from Athens.