Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has sparked an enormous crisis across Europe. A new war on its borders would be challenging enough on its own, but the unwise decisions by member states to neglect their militaries and depend on Russia for energy has placed the European Union in a precarious position. As they absorb the millions of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian onslaught, Europeans are desperately trying to secure enough fuel for the winter amid Russian gas cuts while dealing with rampant inflation and other political and economic challenges. France is even worse off than its neighbors in some respects: This summer, reactionary firebrand Marine Le Pen placed second in the presidential election, and in the ensuing parliamentary elections, her party and a far-left alliance picked up enough seats to deny the ruling Ensemble party a majority.

There are several proximate causes for this year’s dreadful events, but the present situation is part of a longer trend of gradual European decline. The countries that now form the European Union accounted for over a quarter of the world’s GDP in 1990; by 2021, that figure had fallen to barely more than a sixth. Europe still boasts a rich cultural heritage and dominates some important sectors in the global economy, but it is neither powerful enough nor unified enough to play the role in global politics it did only a short while ago.