Putin, Trump, NATO: A Crisis Demanding Political Change in Europe?

The world’s political system is increasingly unstable. Rising tensions, from Putin’s territorial ambitions to Trump’s NATO stance, highlight weaknesses in the EEC and NATO. In the Netherlands, the fragmented government system leads to ineffective long-term policies. With short election cycles and slow decision-making, should politics adopt modern management methods like Agile, Lean, and Six Sigma to tackle global challenges, or remain unprepared for threats like Russia and China?

Political Change in Europe

Every day when I get out of bed in the morning, I am amazed at the way our world is currently being ruled. When I look at the bureaucracy that runs the current political systems and legislation, I often scratch my head. Every evening you see and hear on television, sounds about how tensions in the world are rising again. Think of the Gaza Strip and our "friend" Putin, who still wants to become the Tsar of Russia by further expanding his territory but would also like to add Western Europe to his territory.

The threat from the east is increasing, and we can read everywhere we want that Western Europe is not yet prepared for a possible war with Russia. Every day you also hear that US President Donald Trump no longer feels called upon to fulfill his role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. He thinks that the United States of America must contribute far too much and does much more than the rest of the members of NATO.

We now know that President Trump, the forty-seventh president of the USA, immediately issued twenty-six decrees when he took office this year (2025). With these decrees, he changed various laws in his country within twenty-four hours. America the country that consists of fifty states< and only started its status in 1776, the "country" that thinks more and more like a country, and comes out. Every law enacted in the Washington district applies to all three hundred and thirty-two million inhabitants. And these residents are proud to be American.

Picture: RNZ

I said before, I look at the development of Russia with suspicion and with a kind of admiration in America. I wouldn't feel very comfortable under a "sufferer" like Trump, but do you feel safe under the current way the European Economic Union is run? I certainly don't now. Many people have long forgotten that the EEC is a trade agreement, a way of promoting trade between the various European countries. This has nothing to do with promoting unity or protecting each other when Putin visits. And the N.A.V.O., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is stuck together like loose sand in several places. How strong is the N.A.V.O. in relation to Russia or China if all hell really breaks loose?

I could take any European country as an example for the disgrace that in my view is currently taking place within the N.A.V.O. and the E.E.C., but for the moment I will limit myself to the Netherlands, my own home country. It starts with the way of governing, in my opinion there is a far too extensive party system in our country that leads to far too much fragmentation between the voters. A new government is elected once every four years. The then elected government parties always take plenty of time to form a coalition. Then opinions must be aligned, and ministers must be elected, and a Prime Minister must be elected. After that, there are often only three or two and a half years left to govern before the next elections come around.

These ministers determine the long-term policy of our country, but can this be done in a period of up to three years? As a minister, can you read up on and empathize with such a relatively short time? And to some extent, this also applies to the rest of the world. Are the current terms of office, elections, terms of government and the way of deciding still of this time, can we in Europe keep up with Putin and Trump?

Former project managers in the business world still remember the older project management tools. A plan was made at the start of a project, and it was only when that project was completed that it became clear whether it had been successful. Everyone knows by now that this often went terribly wrong. The outcome of the project no longer fitted in with the environment that had developed in the meantime, the money had been thrown away, and the problem had not been solved, strategic problems were maintained.

Does the "project" Politics also need to be overhauled?

The "old" project management developed, and new tools were developed again and again, such as Prince 1 and 11. To waterfall, Scrum, and Agile. Think of the way companies are now working successfully with Lean and Six Sigma. Think of the implementation of strategic, tactical and operational management. Isn't it time that this way of thinking is also adopted by politicians, Or are we all waiting for Putin, or Trump with their armies to cross our borders? Perhaps our politicians will then realize that the system is indeed in need of change?