西歐

去年的國際觀察曆用「有權又有錢」形容西歐,今年恐怕就沒那麼chill了。西歐國家好不容易擺脫COVID-19,開放邊界、觀光業復甦。然而這一切都在2022年2月24日變調了。西歐各國原本高度仰賴俄羅斯天然氣,俄烏戰爭發生後遂成為能源危機的第一波受害者。各國開始尋找各種解法:核能、燃煤、跟非洲簽約。以前沒想到(或不敢用)的,現在都成了解決辦法。
即便面對俄羅斯可能停止供應天然氣的威脅,許多西歐國家仍相當支持烏克蘭。盧森堡、列支敦斯登等富裕小國提供大量援助;德國、法國陸續提供軍武,並增加在北約的部隊人數。就連永久中立國瑞士都加入制裁俄羅斯的行列。西歐國家對內要克服內政上的挑戰,對外則要調派資源幫助鄰國,就看各國政府如何應對了。
Western Europe, the region we are about to introduce, can probably be described as rich and powerful.
Among the nine Western European countries, there are Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world, Luxembourg and Switzerland with their GDP per capita ranking the world's first and second, as well as France, whose military strength is ranked 7th in the world. Germany and France, as the core decision makers in the European Union, dictate the development of Europe to a great extent. Also, we often see on TV that Switzerland and Austria are the selected meeting destinations for state leaders as the two are internationally well-known permanently neutral countries.
However, being rich does not exempt one from troubles. The rise of far-right groups in Western European countries challenges European integration. The nonstop influx of refugees has been driving a wedge between races. And there is the dilemma over choosing to side with the U.S. or China. Once a purgatory during WWII, Western European countries have worked hard to put behind them their miserable past and united the continent to regain global leadership status.