Europe's empty fortress

The first ideal image of a society was a fortress.

The Babylonian story of Gilgamesh praises cities for their sturdy walls. The Old Testament idealises societies with walls of bronze.

Paradise on the inside, walls on the outside, and a failed cosmos around: the appeal of isolationism has been present across the world and throughout history.

It particularly characterises societies on the decline. But here is another lesson from history: walls and isolationism do not work, ...