War in Europe!

Language is such a fascinating tool…

Did you notice that, out of the blue, a war in (the middle of) Europe is on everyone’s lips? Where did that term come from all of a sudden? We used to call it differently in the beginning.

There is no geographical definition of Europe. At least not in the sense of separate land masses or other natural borders. Europe is simply the idea of a cultural and political unity in the western parts of the Eurasian continent. It’s a matter of opinion what belongs to it and what does not. Culturally spoken, we could even count Wladiwostok in.

A few weeks ago, we were discussing the Kievan Rus’ as the predecessor of modern Russia to argue for Ukrainian Independence and against Russia’s territorial claim. So, what does it mean, when the same politicians and media representatives are now confidently talking about a war in Europe?