EU slaps Asia in the face

Kishore Mahbubani, public policy professor at the National University of Singapore, writes that in world politics the EU "stands as a political dwarf in responding to the rapidly changing geopolitical environment. ... But the rising tide of insecurity in European hearts and minds also means that Europe cannot continue to be a giant Switzerland ... The Swiss can feel secure because they are surrounded by Europe. The Europeans can only feel insecure because they are surrounded by an arc of instability, from north Africa to the Middle East, from the Balkans to the Caucasus. ... The paucity of European strategic thinking is stunning. ... Whenever the EU gets a chance, it slaps Asia in the face. ... Europe should encourage Muslims to look at China, India and [southeast Asian states community] Asean as their new development models. ... When the Islamic world is finally modernised, Europe can go back to being a giant Switzerland again."

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