GENEVA, December 27. /TASS/. Swiss politician, journalist, writer, and member of the Geneva cantonal parliament Guy Mettan has expressed the view that Europeans are desperately and aggressively attempting to prolong the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, this is driven by their reluctance to accept the decline of their dominant influence on the global stage.
Mettan argues that Europeans have failed to recognize that they have lost their soft power worldwide. This inability to accept their diminished status fuels their fierce resistance, exemplified by their stance in Ukraine. In his words, they are essentially fading from the global scene, and their belligerence and tendency to incite conflict are desperate reactions - an attempt to cling to remaining power as a losing side.
He further explains that the European establishment finds it difficult to admit that they have lost control of global influence. Until the end of the 20th century, it was clear that the West held dominance not only militarily but also culturally, economically, and in terms of soft power. However, Mettan notes that the soft power of Europe and the West - who had been influential for over 500 years since the era of colonial conquests - has largely collapsed over the past two decades, particularly in the last 15 years. He suggests that this profound shift is often overlooked or dismissed by Western elites.