European Union Commissioner for Security and Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell tried to defend himself against the scathing he received after his controversial statements when he said that “Europe is a garden and the rest of the world is a jungle, and he said that “part of that what I said was taken out of context and given a certain character. mankind has been able to build, but the rest of the world is not really a garden, the rest of the world… Most of the rest of the world is a jungle.” Tuesday, October 18, 2022, metaphors such as garden and forest are not his invention, and he said that “some people hate them because of their use by neoconservatives in the United States, but I am far from that school of political thought.”
The European official added: “Indeed, this concept has been present in academic and political debate for decades, because it points to a simple question that we face every day: should the international system be based on principles acceptable to all, regardless of the strength of its actors. , or Should it be based on the will of the strongest, which is often called (the law of the jungle)?” As Josep Borrell continued: “Unfortunately, the world we live in today seems more and more (like a forest) and less (like a garden), because in many parts of the world the law of the strongest is at work, destroying agreed upon international standards.” – he said. This worries everyone, including Europeans.”
While he stated that “the project of European integration originated from the rejection of power politics, and we succeeded in replacing the calculations of power with legal procedures. That is why I have spoken about (the European Garden) and through our alliance we have been able to promote peace and cooperation between the former belligerents with a common commitment to respect the rules and laws.”
Josep Borrell added: “But now the war has returned to Europe, and all over the world we are seeing a shift in geopolitics. We are facing a world of power politics with weapons of interdependence and new examples of countries using force, intimidation and blackmail to achieve their goals.” path.”
He stated that “the growth of this lawless world and chaos is what I had in mind when I spoke of (the jungle).” “My reference to the forest has no racial, cultural or geographical connotation, in fact, unfortunately, the forest is everywhere, including today in Ukraine,” he said, adding: “Some have misinterpreted this metaphor as Eurocentrism and colonialism”. The European official also lamented and said: “I’m sorry if some will be offended, I think, and I told, for example, the EU ambassadors last week that we often focus on Europe and we need to be humble and get to know the rest. world, including the south. Josep Borrell also continued: “I also have enough experience to know that neither Europe nor the West is perfect and that some countries in the West sometimes violate international legality”, and he said: “All my life I have opposed any form of contempt or racism towards anyone.”
