Leadership Quote by Zbigniew Brzezinski

Brzezinski’s line lands like a diplomatic rebuke disguised as friendly advice. “Fictitious” does the heavy lifting: it’s not just that dividing Europe is unhelpful, but that the very categories “new” and “old” are manufactured for political convenience. He’s warning that the rhetoric of generational Europe - dynamic post-Communist upstarts versus stodgy Western capitals - is a strategic mirage that flatters some allies, alienates others, and ultimately serves Washington’s short-term bargaining more than its long-term security.

The context is the early-2000s fracture over Iraq, when the U.S. leaned on Central and Eastern European governments to demonstrate support, and pundit culture gleefully repeated the “new Europe” vs. “old Europe” frame. Brzezinski, a Cold War strategist with a deep feel for how alliances rot, is calling that move self-sabotage. A divided Europe is easier to manipulate, yes, but it’s also less capable: less coherent in foreign policy, less legitimate in its publics, and more vulnerable to external pressure (read: Russia) precisely because it lacks internal solidarity.

The intent is pragmatic, not sentimental. Cooperation with Europe isn’t a kumbaya ideal; it’s force multiplication. His subtext is that American power is strongest when it doesn’t confuse coalition-management with coalition-shopping. By insisting the split is “fictitious,” he also nudges Europeans: stop performing these roles, stop auditioning for Washington’s approval, and start acting like a single strategic actor.