A concise, clear, and provocative essay for those who no longer recognize themselves in today's Europe. "Europe is not over. But one idea of Europe is." In an age of systemic crises and top-down decisions, this essay challenges the European Union as it is currently presented. Born as a space of peace and cooperation, it has turned into a technocratic apparatus distant from its citizens - incapable in foreign policy, inadequate in handling economic crises, intolerant of dissent, and increasingly authoritarian in its methods. Through an engaging and well-documented narrative, the author guides the reader through: - The forgotten theories of Mackinder and Brzezinski that explain the EU's strategic marginality; - The rise of a new moral censorship disguised as "European values"; - The internal fractures between North and South, East and West; - The growing popular anger ignored by the ruling elites; - The two possible alternatives: a mature return to the nation-states or a new Mediterranean union rooted in history and reality. With an accessible yet never simplistic style, The Betrayal of the European Elites is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what has gone wrong - and, above all, to imagine another path.