The Roman Republic did not collapse overnight — it gradually disintegrated from within, struck by a profound civilizational crisis that led to self-destruction and civil war. It could be saved only by Augustus’ principate, and even that came at the cost of great political sacrifice. Similarly, Europe today is heading toward chaos, governed by unelected international bureaucrats, influential billionaires, and weak political puppets who rule through regulation, censorship, and fear of instability — increasingly losing touch with reality. The question, therefore, is not if this system will collapse, but into what form it will transform — and who will take command over its remnants.
This was stated in an interview for “Glas Srpske” by David Engels, Belgian historian and philosopher, former head of the Department of Roman History at the University of Brussels, and senior analyst at Poland’s Institute Zachodni, where he promoted the concept of “Hesperialism” — a form of civilizational European patriotism.
According to Engels, Europe is facing a deep economic, demographic, and identity crisis, reminiscent of the one that preceded the fall of the Roman Empire. He believes there are clear historical analogies between Rome and modern Europe, warning that the Western “empire” is headed for the same fate — the central theme of his book “The Decline: The Crisis of the European Union and the Fall of the Roman Republic,” which he is promoting in Banja Luka.
“The parallels are not superficial but structural. Both societies face the same symptoms: loss of faith and morality, collapse of family structures, uncontrolled migration, growing social inequality, political corruption, demographic decline, and globalization. In both cases, political life is increasingly dominated by a small caste of wealthy oligarchs, instead of visionary leaders with popular legitimacy,” Engels explained.
Collapse of Empires and European Disintegration
“The internal disintegration of the European Union would have global consequences. Europe remains one of the main economic and cultural centers of the world. Its implosion would destabilize Africa and the Middle East, trigger mass migration waves, and disrupt the geopolitical balance between the US, Russia, and China.
The first victims would be smaller Eastern and Southern European nations, economically dependent on Western subsidies and politically caught between rival powers. The fall of Europe would symbolize the moral and spiritual exhaustion of a civilization that once shaped the entire planet.”
The European Project Gone Astray
“The European project began as a noble dream — the reconciliation of nations after centuries of war, rooted in Christianity and the heritage of the medieval Sacrum Imperium.
“But over time, that ideal was taken over by technocrats and leftist ideologues. Instead of defending our cultural identity, the EU became an instrument of its dismantling. It promotes a purely materialistic view of humanity, reduces citizens to consumers, encourages mass migration, destroys the family, and replaces patriotism with bureaucratic universalism.”
Engels argues that Europe’s greatest challenge is not external but internal — the loss of meaning.
“A civilization that no longer knows what it stands for cannot survive.”
Woke Ideology and the “Culture of Cancellation”
“Wokeism is not a moral fashion — it is the ideological weapon of a new totalitarianism. Behind the rhetoric of tolerance lies the destruction of all traditional pillars: God, nation, family, gender, beauty, and creation.
“It is a soft revolution — a cultural purge designed to erase collective memory and make individuals easier to control. By erasing the past, wokeism seeks to dominate the future.”
Sovereigntist Movements and National Identity
“The labels left and right have lost meaning. What we see today is a civilizational struggle between those who defend rootedness and those who glorify deconstruction.
“Sovereigntist movements are the instinctive reaction of peoples stripped of their history — because a nation that loses its identity ceases to exist, regardless of its GDP or military power.”
Engels warns, however, that pure sovereigntism carries dangers.
“Rejecting today’s woke ideology is understandable, but rejecting the idea of European unity altogether would be catastrophic. A fragmented Europe would quickly become a battleground for global powers — the US, Russia, China, Turkey, and even Qatar.”
His solution: a new, united Europe grounded in tradition and identity — the essence of his concept “Hesperialism.”
The Balkans as Europe’s Mirror
“The Balkans are a microcosm of Europe’s contradictions: ethnic fragmentation, religious tensions, corruption, identity conflicts, and weak governance. These societies suffer from the same disease as Western Europe — the erosion of transcendence and the triumph of cynicism.
“If Europe continues to retreat geopolitically, the vacuum will be filled by other powers — Turkey, Russia, or China. The fate of the Balkans once again foreshadows the fate of Europe itself.”
Globalism, Islam, and the New Crisis
Engels sees an opportunistic alliance between globalist elites and political Islam:
“Post-Christian Europe has lost faith in itself, so it tolerates — even promotes — Islam as a substitute for the lost proletariat. For globalists, Islam is cheap labor and a tool to erode traditional identity. For certain Islamic actors, Europe is fertile ground for soft conquest.
“This fragile symbiosis will last only while state budgets can finance social programs. Once the money runs out, and migrants no longer receive benefits, violence will replace tolerance.”
He adds that the migration crisis is civilizational, not economic:
“Europe imports millions from regions where religion and family still matter — while destroying those same values at home. In that vacuum, political Islam thrives. The problem is not Islam itself, but Europe’s loss of faith.”
“Orwellian” Europe and the End of Free Thought
“The EU’s plan to establish a commission that decides what is true or false in the media is pure Orwellianism. The very idea that an unelected body should determine what citizens may believe is a denial of Enlightenment values.
“Truth becomes a bureaucratic product, redefined daily by institutions that long ago abandoned faith. Migration, pandemics, war, and climate debates show how easily dissent can be criminalized when those in power control the media and courts.”
Engels in Banja Luka
The interview was conducted in cooperation with the Center for Socio-Political Research of Republika Srpska, which is organizing David Engels’ visit to Banja Luka.
On Wednesday at 5 PM, he will deliver a lecture titled “Ideology and Politics in Contemporary Europe” at the Faculty of Political Sciences, followed by a book promotion and discussion on “Defending Europe as a Civilization” on Thursday at 11 AM at the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska.
Source: Glas Srpske
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