Recently, the question of the political role of the European Union in the world has been discussed repeatedly. In particular, with a critical view of the United States of America, some intellectuals have suggested that the European Union has the opportunity to become both a building block and a model for a new world order. However, the current sovereign debt crisis and serious economic problems suggest a more cautious and less optimistic assessment of the power of this union of states. Even more so, the Europeans' inability to find adequate responses to long-term challenges—such as negative demographic trends, increasing dependence on foreign energy supplies, adherence to outdated ideologies, and a lack of willingness to defend their own values—becomes evident.