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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Shada Islam

Europe is sleepwalking into a far-right trap. Who will sound the alarm?

Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Kais Saied and Giorgia Meloni unveiling a migration deal between the EU and Tunisia in Tunis, 16 July 2023
Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen, Kais Saied and Giorgia Meloni unveiling a migration deal between the EU and Tunisia in Tunis, 16 July 2023. Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

I arrived in Brussels four decades ago as a student, scarred by the legacy of two deadly wars between India and Pakistan, and their constant enmity. I was ready to be seduced by a story of peace and cooperation – of former enemies reconciled by trade and pooled sovereignty. The EU and me were a perfect fit.

Improbable as it may sound, Belgium drew me in, loved me back. University life was multicultural and exciting. Fulfilling a long-held dream, I became a reporter and started covering, later writing and commenting on, EU foreign policy and Europe’s global trade and aid policies.

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