‘Modernism is in my understanding a specific European way of thinking. It developed in Europe under specific historical and geographical conditions. Perhaps the most decisive condition was that our continent was always open and never geographically isolated. No one can say exactly where Europe’s borders are; where Europe ends and where it begins therefore remains indefinite. Modern European thinking has never had one, but many roots; it does not feed off of one, but many sources. Precisely this multiplicity and openness for what is new defines what is specifically European. This Europe emerged not from isolation but from cultural mixing—from diverse cultures and traditions that met each other and learned to get along with each other and solve conflicts peacefully. […] A modern Europe, which my country is entering, cannot reduce its politics of peace to military components. It must see peace as a network connected to active politics for a just society.’