Europe is squabbling—but remains united where it really matters

the nations of Europe is like a French First comes the impressive puff, then, inexorably, a graceless sagging as the dish is tested by time and cutlery. Both the diplomat and the diner are then left wondering whether the whole thing was worth whipping up in the first place. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th jolted Europe into unity. Acting as one made the into something akin to a geopolitical power, albeit precariously. As expected, 100 days later that unity looks somewhat punctured. Intra-European squabbling has resumed, and is now quite loud. But what sounds like serious discord must be interpreted by European standards. In the ways that matter, continental unity is holding up rather well.Europe has more potential rift lines than national dishes. To oversimplify, in past crises the division has often been between flinty northerners who resent being made to pay for ever more costly European schemes—bail-outs, stimulus packages and so on—and spendthrift southerners. Over Ukraine, by contrast, the main fissure has been between east and west. Eastern hawks, notably in Poland and the Baltics, fear that anything other than an unambiguous defeat of the Russian invasion will encourage Vladimir Putin to attack them next. In their eyes the traditional powers that dominate the are showing insufficient steel in their support of a neighbour under attack. France, Germany and Italy, they mutter, are complacent about the threat Europe faces, and would rather chit-chat with Mr Putin than stand up to him.