Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau and the European Illusion of Eternal Peace

Audoin-Rouzeau, a scholar whose expertise lies in the cataclysm of the First World War, suggests that the historical parallels between the early 20th century and our current era are becoming impossible to ignore. The primary danger, he posits, is a profound psychological detachment. Having enjoyed an extended period of peace, European societies have fundamentally forgotten the visceral, chaotic reality of warfare. This shift in perspective creates a dangerous cognitive gap: the belief that maintaining a non-aggressive stance serves as a foolproof shield against external threats.

This logic stems from a peacetime mindset that assumes the entire world operates under the same rules of engagement. However, the historian warns that this is a fatal miscalculation. While Europe remains tethered to the comforts of its post-war order, other global actors function under a logic of wartime, where conflict is not an impossibility to be averted, but a tangible instrument of policy. By failing to recognize these different operating systems, Europe risks being caught unprepared by a reality it refuses to acknowledge.