EU Observer (11 July 2023)

Shada ISLAM

European Union policymakers are proud of their "strategic compass" to boost the bloc's defence and security. The rapid and dangerous decline in the EU's once-impressive moral compass needs similarly urgent attention.

The EU's new military swagger and solidarity for Ukraine are certainly important for the security of Europe. Once decried as an allegedly listless soft power, the EU now takes pride in providing all kinds of military assistance to Ukraine. Increased spending on defence is a top priority.

Ambitions are high, with the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisting that Europeans are poised to become "reliable global security providers" … well, just about anywhere in the world. The rush to fulfil the EU's newly-minted manifest destiny is impressive. But it cannot hide — or excuse — the EU's parallel disregard for the human rights of millions of black and brown Europeans as well as of thousands of racialised refugees and migrants.

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