The War Before the War: Europe’s Civilizational Crisis Began Long Before Ukraine

When Russian tanks crossed the Ukrainian border in February 2022, many European leaders described the invasion as the event that shattered peace on the continent. The assumption behind this narrative was clear: Europe had been stable, prosperous, and secure until an external aggressor disrupted the post-war order.

Yet this interpretation overlooks a more uncomfortable reality. Europe did not become weak when the war in Ukraine began. By then, the weakening had already taken place. The conflict merely revealed a crisis that had been developing for decades beneath the surface of prosperity and institutional confidence.

Wars rarely emerge in a vacuum. They are often the final manifestation of deeper political, cultural, and civilizational transformations. The tragedy unfolding in Ukraine should therefore be understood not merely as a geopolitical confrontation but as a symptom of a broader European condition.

The question that Europeans should ask themselves is not simply why Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. The more fundamental question is why Europe found itself so vulnerable when the challenge arrived. The answer lies in a long process of civilizational erosion that accelerated after the cultural revolution of 1968.