At the turn of the 21st century, globalization—technological, commercial, and cultural—has made the world smaller, but we now have evidence that it has not made it freer or more open to diversity. In fact, the increase in physical mobility and digital connectivity has, in recent years, led to closed borders and a rise in defensive and aggressive nationalisms. In a short time, we have gone from what was heralded as the triumph of liberalism and democracy—the proclaimed end of history—to the current trade war, xenophobic rejection of immigration, and the return of wars and imperialism. This culminated in the second term of US President Donald Trump, who directly and abruptly shattered the balances and consensus of international law and diplomatic multilateralism that emerged after World War II. The result is that today the world is more insecure: the dialectic of confrontation has taken hold, whether directly military—Ukraine, Gaza—or commercial. It has also become ideological and cultural.

This Sunday marks the first day that non-EU citizens of the Schengen Area will be identified by a new automatic system whenever they enter EU territory. The technology, known as EES (Entry/Exit System), will record the faces and fingerprints of non-EU travelers and will be gradually implemented over the next six months at all EU borders. also at airports.