Yet the shock galvanised Europe to urgently reflect on its identity and global role. Millions of Europeans took to the streets to protest against the US war. European intellectuals such as Jürgen Habermas (whose death was announced on Saturday) and Jacques Derrida articulated a Kantian vision of a common European identity rooted in multilateralism, international law and soft power. In retrospect, their manifesto had blind spots – patronisingly overlooking eastern Europe and ignoring the resurgence of the Russian threat, which would demand hard power as well. But nevertheless, the 2003 Iraq war marked a pivotal moment in the formation of a European identity.