Europe’s commitment to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law is not a weakness. It is our greatest strategic strength.

Yet, tectonic geopolitical shifts are challenging this reality. Increasingly, nations are retreating into narrow self-interest, discarding international law. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a direct assault on the values Europe is built upon. What is more, disturbingly, long-standing allies now seek to undermine us.

The recent US national security strategy paints a bleak picture. Echoing criticisms initiated by Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich, it portrays Europe as a continent in "civilisational decline." It pushes back at our efforts to protect human well-being through regulation and signals support for far-right actors who erode social cohesion, democracy and the rule of law.

I reject the United States’ analysis. Even where we fall short, Europe’s civilisational model—grounded firmly in human rights—is something to be proud of.

Born from the ashes of the second world war —and codified in the Universal Declaration and the European Convention on Human Rights— this model has anchored our societies for 80 years. It is not just a moral compass; it produces tangible resilience. Human rights foster the mutual trust necessary for long-term security—something fear-driven politics can never sustain.

For the alternative, we need only look to what is happening on Europe’s eastern borders. There is a direct line between Russia’s internal abandonment of human rights and democratic principles and its external military onslaught.

Conversely, human rights provide the roadmap for navigating the challenges of migration, climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity, inequalities, and technological disruption. 

Europe is stronger when it defends free speech grounded in human rights law. A freedom of expression that is distinct from extreme hate speech. We are stronger when we regulate AI to prevent discrimination and abuses, building trust in innovation rather than fuelling fear. We are stronger when we refuse to let the will of the majority slide into tyranny against minorities.

In the face of the startling US forecast of our decline, European leaders need to place human rights at the heart of Europe’s strategic repositioning. This requires action in three areas.

First, consistency. We must reinforce human rights in both foreign and domestic policy. Europe’s long-standing commitment to human rights has provided us with considerable soft power, but to unlock its full potential, we must do better at home. Silence and double standards undermine our credibility. This is not about moral posturing, but about genuinely stepping up funding for international human rights programs and active diplomacy, while simultaneously investing more strongly in domestic policies addressing poverty, inequality and declining health services. A robust domestic rights agenda, focused on concrete delivery, is the only effective counterpoint to the narrative of decline.

Second, fortification. We must “future-proof” the democratic institutions that protect us. In this volatile era, illiberal actors will inevitably continue to come to power. Their first targets always include the judiciary, national human rights institutions, the civil service, academia and the media. They seek to redraw the electoral system. Governments should conduct an urgent "health check" of their legal safeguards. Because once institutional vandalisation succeeds, the damage is difficult to reverse.

Third, courage. We need leaders to speak up for our values. This is a battle of narratives. Mainstream politicians who attempt to court voters by imitating the language of those who seek to undermine our rights and democratic norms are destined to fail; voters will always prefer the original to the copy.

If we lack the courage to assert our norms, we concede the struggle. The "civilisational decline" predicted by our critics will not come from sticking to our values and principles, but from abandoning them. Europe’s power lies not in mimicking the authoritarians or those who oppose human rights, but in showing that dignity, law, and freedom remain the only foundations on which a stable and prosperous future can be built.

-Michael O'Flaherty