Twenty years ago, amidst the protests against the US-led war in Iraq, Jürgen Habermas launched an ambitious initiative for the creation of a European public sphere. This, he argued, would precipitate a thorough renewal of the EU and the emergence of a common European identity. The venture bore the title ‘After the war: The rebirth of Europe’.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made it agonizingly clear that the vision of Europe conceived by Habermas was never realized. But perhaps something can be learned from his attempt.
With this series, we want to contribute to Europeans’ self-understanding in the face of their greatest challenge since World War II. Leading public intellectuals in both western and eastern Europe take on this challenge and reflect on the possibility of a ‘Rebirth of Europe’.
