The book by Christos Chatziiosif is an original study that combines historical knowledge and political reflection. It is positioned at the heart of public international debate, opening up all the major issues: the reasons for Germany's economic and political dominance, the dangers that threaten it, the peculiar - and until recently silent - German nationalism, the return of nationalisms throughout Europe, the "fourth industrial revolution" of technology, and the multi-speed EU.

The "European paradox" has been characterized by the fact that the process of European integration, with the creation of supranational structures that theoretically aim to overcome national competition, has exacerbated the contradictions between the member states of the European Union and revived nationalism within them. The study identifies the roots of this contradiction in the specific form of the European integration process that was followed after 1989. The introduction of the euro accelerated the inherent tendency of any customs union to favor the economically stronger members of the Union, particularly Germany. These policies were implemented in an ideological environment that tolerated, if not actively promoted, the inequalities between the member states of the European Union, as well as within their own populations. The mass influx of refugees into Europe has exacerbated the social and political instability caused by the ongoing widening of inequalities, resulting in the "European perspective" that some confidently invoke being, in reality, ambiguous.