“Politics is not accounting. If those in leadership lack charisma and inner strength, the balance doesn’t hold,” said international affairs expert Ilgar Velizade in an interview with EDnews. “Today, much of the European elite fits this description: the bright figures of the past have been replaced by a generation of administrators who resemble clerks more than architects of grand politics.”
Velizade emphasized that Europe is currently experiencing a serious leadership crisis.
“There is a noticeable lack of strong personalities, both in Europe and globally. Political figures capable of leading and inspiring people have been replaced by weak managers who simply go with the flow.
Forty years ago, the list of European leaders resembled a pantheon: Willy Brandt, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Margaret Thatcher. Even younger politicians at the time like Tony Blair and Felipe González were shaping the rules of the game. Today, Angela Merkel appears to be the last truly prominent figure of that era, and compared to Emmanuel Macron, even Nicolas Sarkozy now seems like a towering statesman.”
According to Velizade, European politics has entered an era marked by contradictory decisions and constant hesitation:
“One day, a leader threatens to send troops to Ukraine, and the next, claims such an action is impossible. Everything depends on the political climate, the next poll, or pressure from the streets.”
This kind of behavior, he argues, creates a form of political schizophrenia: promises are not kept, governments change hands frequently, and public trust erodes. The UK, for instance, has changed prime ministers more often than football clubs change managers. France continues to face internal crises, Germany is stuck in endless compromises, and Italy has long lived under a cycle of constant elections.
“Today, the only exception in Europe appears to be Giorgia Meloni. Charismatic, decisive, and confident, Meloni has managed to unite Italian society during a time of crisis,” he said.
“This is a rare exception from the general picture. Europe is at a crossroads, and its current elites have no answers to the challenges they face,” Velizade added.
The inability of leaders to manage contradictions, he concluded, leads to a much more dangerous phenomenon: a crisis of authority. When words and actions don’t align, society loses trust. And a loss of public trust can shake even the strongest political systems.
Shems Gasimli
.jpg.jpeg)