---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is quite unfathomable why the EU…"
description: "\"“It is quite unfathomable why the EU leadership fails to anticipate these potentially catastrophic possibilities, and fails to respond to popular conce..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg"
---

#  It is quite unfathomable why the EU leadership fails to…

![“It is quite unfathomable why the EU leadership fails to anticipate these potentially catastrophic possibilities, and fails to respond to popular concerns with more moderate immigration policies. One possible explanation for these perverse policies that has been put forward by highly regarded…” quote by Byron M. Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg)

> ““It is quite unfathomable why the EU leadership fails to anticipate these potentially catastrophic possibilities, and fails to respond to popular concerns with more moderate immigration policies. One possible explanation for these perverse policies that has been put forward by highly regarded scholars, such as Samuel Huntington, is that the current leadership of the EU is composed of left-wing authoritarians who are enemies of the Western liberal tradition. According to Huntington, “Multiculturalism is in its essence anti-European... "and opposes its civilization. The official repression of dissent and pursuance of unpopular policies by undemocratic means suggests that such ideologues wish to turn the EU into a centrally controlled empire similar to the Soviet Union. If that is the case, then their current policies make a good deal of sense, in that they flood the continent with people who have lived under autocratic regimes and never lived in democratic republics. Such people may well be willing to tolerate repressive regimes provided they can maintain a moderate standard of living and their own traditional religious practices. As Hunnngton points out, imperial regimes often promote ethnic conflict among their minority citizens to strengthen the power of the central authority, with the not unrealistic claim that a powerful central authority is essential to maintain civil order. But if that is the case, then Europe will be transformed into an authoritarian and illiberal multiethnic empire, undemocratic, economically crippled and culturally retrograde. Is it any wonder that so many see Europe as committing suicide and its end coming "not with a bang, but a whimper?””

Byron M. Roth

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A critique of EU policies, arguing they stem from authoritarian left‑wing leadership, leading to cultural decline and authoritarianism.

**In simple terms:** EU leadership is portrayed as authoritarian leftist causing cultural decay.

Key Takeaway

Critically assess political narratives and their origins.

Themes

politics EU authoritarianism culture immigration

Mood

critical serious analytical

Type

Committing suicide:0 Ethnic conflict:1 Leadership:1 Soviet union:1 Repressive Regimes:1 Anti European:1 European Opposes:0 Empire Undemocratic:1 Policies Undemocratic:1

When to use this quote

- academic debate
- policy reform
- public discourse

Key Concepts

policy analysis historical comparison ideological critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports these claims?
- How can Europe balance diversity with cohesion?

A Different Perspective

Potential bias; overgeneralization of complex issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Committing suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committing-suicide/) [Ethnic conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnic-conflict/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/)

## Related quotes

> [Trade, tourism, cultural exchange, and participation in international institutions all serve to erode the legitimacy of repressive regimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/trade-tourism-cultural-exchange-and-participation-in-international/)

[Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/)

> [Humor is always important. There are people who help us deal with difficulty or hardship; from the concentration camps to the court jester, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maz-jobrani/humor-is-always-important-there-are-people-who-help-us-deal-with/)

[Maz Jobrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maz-jobrani/)

> [We need a more complex understanding of writers working under authoritarian or repressive regimes. Something to replace this simpleminded, Cold War-ish equation in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/we-need-a-more-complex-understanding-of-writers-working-under/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [The United States does have the highest rate of incarceration in the world dwarfing the rates of even highly repressive regimes like Russia, China…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-united-states-does-have-the-highest-rate-of-incarceration-in-the/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-promotion-of-human-rights-cannot-be-about-exhortation-alone-at/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The anti-European Tories were a fringe group - until they took over their whole party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-anti-european-tories-were-a-fringe-group-until-they-took-over/)

[Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/)

> [Anti-European politicians tell more myths and fantasies about Europe than you can find in Harry Potter or The Da Vinci Code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-macshane/anti-european-politicians-tell-more-myths-and-fantasies-about-europe/)

Denis MacShane

> [The fueling of anti-Turkish sentiment in Europe is resulting in an anti-European, indiscriminate nationalism in Turkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/the-fueling-of-anti-turkish-sentiment-in-europe-is-resulting-in-an/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [“First Afghanistan, now Iraq. So who's next? Syria? North Korea? Iran? Where will it all end?' If these illegal interventions are permitted to continue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kofman/first-afghanistan-now-iraq-so-who-s-next-syria-north-korea-iran-where/)

Daniel Kofman

> [Nationalist, anti-European, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim public political figures, seem a worrying picture of a possible European future. We could still fall back into pre-Europe... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/nationalist-anti-european-anti-immigrant-anti-muslim-public-political/)

[Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/)

> [I am not anti-European. I have many friends and acquaintances who are Europeans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-am-not-anti-european-i-have-many-friends-and-acquaintances-who-are/)

[Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/)

> [Brexit was not a historical accident, after all. It taught us where the EU's real problems lie. And if we do not solve them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaroslaw-kaczynski/brexit-was-not-a-historical-accident-after-all-it-taught-us-where-the/)

[Jaroslaw Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaroslaw-kaczynski/)

> [Repressive regimes do not endure change willingly - and Venezuela is no exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopoldo-lopez/repressive-regimes-do-not-endure-change-willingly-and-venezuela-is-no/)

[Leopoldo Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopoldo-lopez/)

> [If someone thinks the course of Italian politics will become anti-European, against an open society, against trade, or populist, as they say today, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-gentiloni/if-someone-thinks-the-course-of-italian-politics-will-become-anti/)

[Paolo Gentiloni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-gentiloni/)

> [I'm fascinated by the ways people under repressive regimes still manage to share information - and joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-m-fascinated-by-the-ways-people-under-repressive-regimes-still/)

[Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/)

## More Committing suicide quotes

> [“Committing suicide essentially said to friends and loved ones and the world at large that you were the only thing that mattered, that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-warren/committing-suicide-essentially-said-to-friends-and-loved-ones-and-the/)

[Christine Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-warren/)

> [Committing suicide so as not to be murdered is the worst reason I've ever heard of to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/committing-suicide-so-as-not-to-be-murdered-is-the-worst-reason-i-ve/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/preventive-war-is-like-committing-suicide-out-of-fear-of-death/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Seems like the only kind of job an American can get these days is committing suicide in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/seems-like-the-only-kind-of-job-an-american-can-get-these-days-is/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [And it would be a bit out of character. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have started out as a reformer, but he really enjoys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kenyon/and-it-would-be-a-bit-out-of-character-president-recep-tayyip-erdogan/)

[Peter Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kenyon/)

> [“ACTION WILL BE YOUR LEGACY “He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-eschenroeder/action-will-be-your-legacy-he-who-has-a-vehement-desire-for/)

[Kyle Eschenroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-eschenroeder/)

> [The society that destroys its children is eating its own tail, committing suicide in the most perverse way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-stone/the-society-that-destroys-its-children-is-eating-its-own-tail/)

[Jennifer Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-stone/)

> [A detective who uses his deductive powers to corner a suspect and then does nothing to stop them from committing suicide is no better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gosho-aoyama/a-detective-who-uses-his-deductive-powers-to-corner-a-suspect-and/)

[Gosho Aoyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gosho-aoyama/)

> [I think what we have seen in terms of gay teenagers committing suicide because of bullying is anguishing. I think young people, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-think-what-we-have-seen-in-terms-of-gay-teenagers-committing/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [“…sense of futility that comes from doing anything merely to prove to yourself that you can do it: having a child, climbing a mountain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/sense-of-futility-that-comes-from-doing-anything-merely-to-prove-to/)

[Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/)

> [Once I was sitting by the side of the Ganges in Allahabad alone, in a very lonely spot, and I saw a man jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaile-stewart/once-i-was-sitting-by-the-side-of-the-ganges-in-allahabad-alone-in-a/)

[Kaile Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaile-stewart/)

> [A society that produces suicide murderers in quantity is essentially committing its own suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-harari/a-society-that-produces-suicide-murderers-in-quantity-is-essentially/)

[Haim Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-harari/)

> [I hope degrading people makes you feel so damn good about yourself. Youre the reason why insecure girls are committing suicide. Shame on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-degrading-people-makes-you-feel-so-damn-good-about-yourself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You said I was the only person that stopped you from committing suicide. I asked you if you liked me back then...you said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-said-i-was-the-only-person-that-stopped-you-from-committing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When someone isn't ready we must not try to force them out. People are being bullied and committing suicide because they're gay and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/when-someone-isn-t-ready-we-must-not-try-to-force-them-out-people-are/)

[Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/)

[Browse all 124 Committing suicide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committing-suicide/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It is quite unfathomable why the EU leadership fails to anticipate these potentially catastrophic possibilities, and fails to respond to popular concerns with more moderate immigration policies. One possible explanation for these perverse policies that has been put forward by highly regarded scholars, such as Samuel Huntington, is that the current leadership of the EU is composed of left-wing authoritarians who are enemies of the Western liberal tradition. According to Huntington, “Multiculturalism is in its essence anti-European... \"and opposes its civilization. The official repression of dissent and pursuance of unpopular policies by undemocratic means suggests that such ideologues wish to turn the EU into a centrally controlled empire similar to the Soviet Union. If that is the case, then their current policies make a good deal of sense, in that they flood the continent with people who have lived under autocratic regimes and never lived in democratic republics. Such people may well be willing to tolerate repressive regimes provided they can maintain a moderate standard of living and their own traditional religious practices. As Hunnngton points out, imperial regimes often promote ethnic conflict among their minority citizens to strengthen the power of the central authority, with the not unrealistic claim that a powerful central authority is essential to maintain civil order. But if that is the case, then Europe will be transformed into an authoritarian and illiberal multiethnic empire, undemocratic, economically crippled and culturally retrograde. Is it any wonder that so many see Europe as committing suicide and its end coming \"not with a bang, but a whimper?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Byron M. Roth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-m-roth/it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-leadership-fails-to-anticipate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Committing suicide"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-m-roth/it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-leadership-fails-to-anticipate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/byron-m-roth-192985_committing-suicide_it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-lead_1016889.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is quite unfathomable why the EU leadership fails to anticipate these potentially catastrophic…” — Byron M. Roth",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Byron M. Roth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-m-roth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It is quite unfathomable why the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-m-roth/it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-leadership-fails-to-anticipate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-m-roth/it-is-quite-unfathomable-why-the-eu-leadership-fails-to-anticipate/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
