The EU: a simple pawn?

Hey guys! Here I am again, your friendly neighbourhood international relations lover!

Needless to say, in these days I feel kind of hopeless and worried about the future of our world. Putin's military action against Ukraine is simply terrible and heartbreaking and there's no doubt that the outcome, whatever will it be, will redefine once again all our lives.

There are a lot of talks going on now regarding the responsibilities and real motives of this conflict: I think it's time to stop! First, let's stop the hostilities and the shellings, then the grown ups can talk about what they want.

What I would like to focus on now is the role of EU.

I am always pretty sarcastic and critic about the current EU administration and now even more.

I have studied and read a lot about international relations and geopolitics, but even a person without a specialist background could understand the inability of the EU Institutions to stand up and make their voice heard.

The current conflict brought their incompetence under the spotlight.

As a European who actually cares about the EU integration process, I think it's high time that the European Union stops behaving like a pawn of the world's greater powers.

It's high time for the single countries governments to agree on some sort of EU central government with an actual political decision making power.

It's high time for the creation of an EU central army to reduce the dependance on Washington led NATO.

There's no need to quit NATO, to forget our history, but the EU could and should have a stronger voice.

Why let others push us in the corner and dictate how we should behave?

Why let USA, Russia or any other world superpower take advantage of our geographically strategic position?

Aren't the bureaucrats in their cristal towers tired of being pulled from different sides?

The EU has a potential to be an economic and political giant, but as of now is a simple pawn in the hands of the bigger powers.

May this tragic conflict in Ukraine be the occasion for a change in EU politics, a turning point from where we start to really grow a collective identity in order to stand up to whatever world superpower's goals.

I know I am very likely being naive, but the hope is there...

And you? What do you think about this?

Please let me know in the comment section!