Between crisis and hope, ‘defending freedom’ according to Calenda

The sunset, or rather, the crisisof the West – between gloomy visions and a background of optimism – second Carlo Calenda. With a recipe for Europecalled not to fail at a fundamental crossroads of history, under penalty of what the Action secretary defines as “inertia”. And an effect, apocalyptic but realistic in the senator’s opinion, which is that of “ending up squeezed between China and the USA”. A circular reflection, that of Calenda during the presentation of his book ‘Defending freedom’ at the series of meetings ‘Rome to drink and chat’, which starts from the scenarios of world geopolitics to arrive at the balance of Italian politics. Interviewing the leader of Action, the AGI journalist, Francesco Sparta.

The book’s dedication to Ukrainians

Let’s start from Europe, then. The heart of the reflections contained in Calenda’s volume, published by Piemme, which has in its subtitle a sort of ‘call to arms’ for the Old Continent: Europe’s time. “I dedicate my book to the Ukrainians, because I think they have something inside them that we have forgotten. I think they are driven by a very strong awareness, the desire for freedom. Freedom is the ability of a people to self-determine”, explains the author, starting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with a war that – between alternating phases – has been going on for a good four years. Then the blow, in that swing of optimism and pessimism that punctuated the presentation: “We are at the worst phase in history in terms of sense of community, but Europe is the best place to live in”. A reflection that goes hand in hand with the one that comes later, in a kaleidoscope of quotes, from Margareth Thatcher a Francis Fukuyama. “Europe, if it is in a situation of inertia, ends up – he explains – what will happen is that the USA will squeeze us completely and China will invade us with goods. Anything can happen, and not making it happen falls on the citizens. If the citizens vote for the influencers, what will happen is that we will become vassals of the Chinese and the USA”. With the bitter awareness that in today’s West “we have liquidated all complex phenomena”.

The rise of Trump and the decline of the West

From here, according to the founder of Action, the rise of Donald Trumpwhich – this is the thesis – is the litmus test of that decline of the West, of which Europe is, inevitably, the earthenware jar. On the other side, in fact, there are imperial ambitions. “Of Russia”, of course. But Calenda also talks about “containment of China“. Without forgetting the neo-Ottoman ambitions of “Erdogan’s Turkey”. A “containment” that passes through diplomacy. And, in a passage of the debate, the closest current affairs find space. “Today Modi is here”, he explains referring to the president of India who is visiting Italy, underlining how the meeting – constructive – with the new giants of the world is “a job to be done”.

The look at Italian politics and the 2027 elections

All to reach the climax with the ‘cuisine’ of Italian politics. “In the end we vote for the last one who screws around”, is the outburst of the author of ‘Defending Freedom’. “Voting for those who are good at doing theinfluencer do we create Europe in your opinion?”, he asks again. “The United States who made them, Fedez o Washington“, Calenda continues, in a suggestive parallel between the budding of the USA and the US project United States of Europewhich are still to come. Finally, the alchemy of coalitions. And the inevitable question about whether or not Action fits into what is defined as the ‘wide field’ of the centre-left. Hypothesis returned to the sender, for the umpteenth time, by Calenda. Which, instead, imagines a role as a tipping point for the political force it leads. “Our goal is to create a government coalition as broad as desired, on which there are few fundamental principles”, he confirms. “We are indispensable for forming a government and with this electoral law we already are”, he claims. Finally, he dismantles bipolarism: “If we don’t block this system, we risk the majorities going from Vannacci a To Tajani and from By Battista a Renzi“.