Europe, once a pillar of Western cohesion, has fallen into a mid-Atlantic rift, which opened up when its closest ally, the US, decided to ditch it and side with Russia. Amir Ali, who teaches political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), writes that the 21st century is turning on two hinges, where different forms of the European nation-state and its sovereign integrity are involved. One is on Europe’s doorstep and exists precariously in the form of Ukraine. The other is a European settler outpost a little farther out in the form of Israel. Europe’s response contrasts notably—its support for Ukraine against Russia and the lack of such support for Gaza/Palestine, which could never become a nation-state.