Europeans should not be dismayed by comparisons of GDP growth in Europe and, say, the United States.

Of course, Europe faces great challenges in perfecting its economic union, including the need to reduce unemployment and boost the economy's dynamism.

But, while GDP per capita has been rising in the US, most Americans are worse off today than they were five years ago. An economy that, year after year, leaves most of its citizens worse off is not a success.

A multi-polar world

Here, too, Europe has led the way, providing more assistance to developing countries than anyone else (and at a markedly higher fraction of its GDP than the US).

The world has faced a difficult period during the past six years. The commitment to democratic multilateralism has been challenged, and rights guaranteed under international conventions, such as the Convention Against Torture, have been abrogated.

Many lessons have emerged, including the dangers of hubris and the limits of military power, and the need for a multi-polar world.

Europe, with more people than any nation except China and India, and the largest GDP in the world, must become one of the central pillars of such a world by projecting what has come to be called "soft power" - the power and influence of ideas and example.

Europe has succeeded in part because it recognizes that the rights of individuals are inalienable and universal, and because it created institutions to protect those rights.

America, by contrast, has witnessed a massive assault on those rights, including that of habeas corpus - the right to challenge one's detention before an independent judge.

Fine distinctions are made, for example, between the rights of citizens and non-citizens.

Today, only Europe can speak with credibility on the subject of universal human rights. For the sake of all of us, Europe must continue to speak out - even more forcibly than it has in the past.

Likewise, while the European project sought to bring about the "harmony" of people living together in peace, we also must live in harmony with our environment - the scarcest of all of our resources.

In this area, too, Europe has taken the lead, especially concerning global warming, showing that petty selfishness can be put aside to achieve a common good.

While economic integration helped achieve a broader set of goals in Europe, elsewhere, economic globalization has contributed to widening the divide between rich and poor within countries and between rich and poor countries.

Another world is possible. But it is up to Europe to take the lead in achieving it.