This article is published in number 20 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until May 17, 2022\
L’Europe is a woman. An Asian woman. According to the myth, Europa is a Phoenician princess who traveled the route that separates Asia from the Mediterranean on the back of a bull, a dangerous animal
became meek by divine will in order to lead her to the island of Crete. The myth tells of a place, Europe in fact, which is historically the meeting point where East and West meet
unite. A vast geographical area, very green and surrounded by seas after the endless yellow and burnt plains that precede its fertile lands.
The war in progress in Ukraine and the mystifying statements of Vladimir Putin during the parade last May 9 in Moscow, they work for Europe as a strange mirror. On the one hand, they reflect her image of her, reminding her of who she is, her history, her culture, the foundations of her idea of ​​democracy and union. On the other hand, they raise questions about her future, about her identity, about the role that must be carved out in the new international scene.
In Italy, in the last two months, two fronts have arisen: on the one hand there are those who push for the unconditional defense of Ukraine lighting the beacon on Vladimir Putin’s policies of violence and fake news propaganda; on the other hand, there are those who want to reflect on the subjection of Europe to the United States and therefore on the doubts in participating in the defense of Ukraine invaded by Russia.
As a newspaper, we have repeatedly highlighted who pushes on defense. But this is not the point. In this issue of Vanity Fair you will find interviews, reports and news that want to shed light on who Europe is. It is like a mirror which, even when it talks about issues far from the Union, nevertheless reflects who we are.
We are not, for example, the Taliban regime which again imposes the burqa on women (on page 8). Instead, we are the generation of young people in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Macedonia who believe in the values ​​of peace and reconciliation (report on page 56). We are, again, many words and as many paths made by Laetitia Casta, our cover star. We are not, but we can and should be, more tolerant and inclusive, as recalled by Cathy La Torre about the Zan Bill (page 10).
Who we are, who we are not, who we should be. Take this number as a mirror of who Europe is or should become today. Because this union of states is and remains one of the cradles of culture, thought and democracy that the world cannot do without.
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Source: Vanity Fair
