Jan Ross on 1989 providing inspiration for Europe's secondary role

Looking back on last year's celebrations of the 20th anniversary of 1989 Jan Ross writes in the German weekly Die Zeit that despite its loss of importance on the global stage Europe still has a vital role to play: "1989 was the opportunity to establish a 'European dream', just as there is an 'American dream' - a dream about reconciling politics and morals, not as spectacularly optimistic as the American one, but a quieter, historically ruptured dream resulting from the lessons of the past. But Europe threatens to waste its dream. … Europe plays a secondary role on the world stage. This is inevitable; it's part of the process of relativisation of the West with respect to the South and East, which has now expanded to include the United States. But secondary roles can be irrelevant or fascinating, and even a continent which no longer defines the world's course can still provide it with the right ideas. From a social and ecological point of view Europe, with its restrained capitalism and its emphasis on sustainability, could assume such a role. But much less so when it comes to political freedom. Those who want to promote that must look to 1989 for inspiration."

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