Between Cape St. Vincent and Kiev

The Russian invasion of Ukraine raises the question that Europe thought it had answered: Is Europe heaven or hell?

For centuries, Cape Saint Vincent has been considered the end of the world. There was nothing beyond him. It is where the European continent ends and the Atlantic sea begins. Everything beyond this point the Greeks considered the empire of the Greek god Atlas. The Romans, on the other hand, called this place Promontorium Sacrum – the end of the world beyond which demons live. Adjacent to Cape St. Vincent is the Portuguese city of Sagres. Today, Sagres is a small town with less than 2,000 inhabitants. But this was not the case once. In one sense, Sagres is the most important city in the world. Sagres is where Prince Henry of Portugal, better known as Henry the Navigator, opened the first school of navigation and began funding the maritime discoveries that would forever change the world. This is the place where, among others, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama were educated. Henry is considered the patron saint of the Age of Discovery when the Old World discovered the New World (America and Australia), as well as new sea routes with Africa, Asia and India. From that moment on, nothing was the same. These discoveries paved the way for the rise of European empires and created the world as we know it today.

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Any summary is doomed to not be entirely accurate. However, if I were to go back in time and select humanity's most important moments, i.e. the turning points that advanced humanity in a revolutionary way, I would have chosen four names that embody this advancement.

Certainly Henry the Navigator is the first. He brought together two parts of the world that never knew they existed. Thus, civilization came together and set itself on a new path of development that would revolutionize every aspect of humanity.

The second person is the German priest, Martin Luther. Luther led the Protestant Reformation by separating the Catholic Church from European political and social life. This moment marks the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the modern period. Luther ended the Church's monopoly on state and society, thus opening a new chapter of development for European civilization.

The third person is Francis Bacon. Bacon is considered the founder of the scientific revolution, which paved the way for the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. Bacon insisted that any observation about the material world must pass the test of reason and therefore be based on evidence. Bacon had practically declared God dead and opened the way for doubt and reason as the only means of human advancement.

The fourth and last person is Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg invented the first mechanical printing press. His printing press enabled mass reading and virtually ended illiteracy. Gutenberg ensured that humanity would be aware of the works of Henry the Navigator, Martin Luther, Francis Bacon and many other revolutionaries. Thus, each person began to create his own critical and personal opinion about the world. The consequences of this for civilization will be irreversible.

There is a special commonality between these four people. All these have been Europeans. Consequently, Europe is also considered the birthplace of civilization, reason, science and progress. The most beautiful works of art were painted here and the most beautiful sounds of opera were heard here. In other words: heaven on earth.

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Cape Saint Vincent and Kiev have one thing in common. They are the geographical beginning and end of the European continent. Europe begins at Cape St. Vincent in the west and ends at Kiev in the east. Beyond Cape St. Vincent is the Atlantic, beyond Kiev is Asia.

In addition to staying at the two geographical extremes, the developments of the last few days in Ukraine also showed two other extremes of the Cape and Kiev. Cape St. Vincent was the starting point of the first European paradise, Kiev was the starting point of the last European hell. 7 days ago Russia invaded Ukraine. This event brought to the world's memories another Europe. A Europe not of reason and progress, but of tyranny and destruction. A Europe of hell. The period 1914-1945 is the darkest chapter of humanity. In just 31 years, 100 million people were killed. Humanity almost destroyed itself. All the progress Europe had made over the centuries was suddenly reversed.

Today, when Russia is bombing one of Europe's largest cities, the question naturally arises whether Europe is on the brink of its next destruction. How is it possible that this continent gave Martin Luther, Francis Bacon, Adolf Hitler, and Vladimir Putin? Is Europe heaven or hell?

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The first answer is geography. Europe is the most fragmented continent in the world. No other continent has so many countries in a smaller space. This brings limits. Boundaries bring tensions. It is ironic that "Ukraine" literally translates to: "Being on the borders". Being on the fringes of empires has historically proved fatal for smaller states. It is in Ukraine alone during the years 1933-1945 that 14 million people were killed, according to the book with the self-explanatory title "Bloodlands" by historian Timothy D. Snyder. But someone from the Balkans doesn't need to go to Ukraine to understand the weight of borders and being oppressed by competing empires. We know this ourselves, first hand.

Europe has been host to endless competing nations. In Europe you can be born in Pressburg, get married in Pozsony and die in Bratislava – without leaving the country. This is the same city. The name has changed depending on who ruled it at a given time. Here in our country, this feature of Europe was best described by Kadareja in "Chronicle in stone", where Gjirokastra passed from Greek, Italian, German occupation and vice versa on a daily basis, leaving behind a part of its history.

The naming of the cities is not only a linguistic difference, but also contains deep historical differences. Think of a city here in Kosovo: is that city called Gjakovë or Đakovica? For the correct answer to this question, people are ready to give their lives. Today, Ukrainians and Russians are giving their lives for answers to these questions.

After the Second World War, the European continent has responded to geographical and historical challenges through the establishment of NATO and the EU. NATO ensured that competing states' claims to continental dominance would be checked by the US, while the EU ensured that competing states would realize that they have more to gain from cooperation than rivalry. In other words, NATO provided peace by bringing in America, the EU provided prosperity by removing borders.

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This architecture of security and well-being of the European continent was the greatest modern achievement of civilization. Europe, from the ruins of the most destructive war known to mankind, turned into the most prosperous country in the world. Europe was heaven again. This was also one of the reasons why modern times were called "the end of history". Civilization had found the secret of happiness and paradise. The last seven days have shaken that assumption to its core. Russia challenged the foundations of the architecture, on which rest the peace and prosperity of the world. Russia threatened to return Europe to hell. The US and the EU, with an unprecedented and aggressive response, made it clear that they are ready to defend the world order - at all costs.

We are in the early days of the biggest crisis in Europe since World War II. The threat of nuclear self-destruction of humanity has never been more real. And again Europe is at the epicenter of the crisis. Today, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised the question that Europe thought it had answered: Is Europe heaven or hell?