Originally Published in Madras Courier
Editorial Note
This essay exposes the widening chasm between Europe’s ideals and its realities—and asks whether a union built on human dignity can survive while systematically undermining it.
In July 2024, six months before the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, ten EU countries, led by Austria and Italy advocated normalisation of relations with Damascus. The diplomatic volte face was led by a tacit belief that Assad will retain power with a stated aim of ‘safe and dignified’ repatriation of the Syrian refugees and internally displaced people.