Excellent opinion piece in The Guardian by Nathalie Tocci: Europe’s reaction to Trump’s war on Iran is a disaster – for Europe itself Meloni, Merz and von der Leyen may believe they are being more realistic and pragmatic than their idealistic predecessors. The opposite is true. If #Europe abdicates its commitment to democratic rules, norms and law, it simply ceases to exist as a collective entity. #European integration is hollowed out from within. This is precisely what is at risk of happening today. And if Europe abandons its principles and laws externally, rather than working to reassert them alongside other middle powers, it will not emerge as a muscular global player but will instead be pushed and pulled by predatory powers such as Vladimir Putin’s #Russia and Donald Trump’s #US. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/16/europe-reaction-donald-trump-war-iran-legal-iraq #Iran #IranWar #Merz #Meloni #VonDerLeyen #Germany #France #Italy #EU