The European Union must face up to the real Russia
Appeasement isn’t working
WHEN ROBERT CONQUEST, a historian, was working on a new edition of “The Great Terror”, his seminal text on Stalin’s crimes, he was told to come up with a new title. The book had described the horrors of the Soviet Union at a time when apologism for it was still rife. By the time of the new version, freshly opened archives had vindicated Conquest’s account. His friend Kingsley Amis, a novelist, suggested a pithy new title: “I told you so, you fucking fools”.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “They told you so”
Europe February 13th 2021
- Covid-19 school closures are widening Europe’s class divisions
- France’s Emmanuel Macron must decide how to fight next year’s election
- Turkey’s president scapegoats gay-friendly students
- Shelters fear an influx of no-longer-wanted lockdown pets
- Mario Draghi is set to become Italy’s next prime minister
- The European Union must face up to the real Russia
From the February 13th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Meet Europe’s Gaullists, Atlanticists, denialists and Putinists
As Donald Trump returns, so do Europe’s old schisms over how to defend itself
Inside Europe, border checks are creeping back
Voters and politicians are worried about unauthorised migrants
The EU is worried about sensitive exports to competitors and foes
A lot of bureaucracy will ensue
A day of drama in the Bundestag
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s probable next chancellor, takes a huge bet and triggers uproar
Amid talk of a ceasefire, Ukraine’s front line is crumbling
An ominous defeat in the eastern town of Velyka Novosilka
The French government’s survival is now in Socialist hands
Moderates attempt to move away from the radicals