National Blackout: Fearing the Rise of Military Tension

It felt like any other day: mundane and forgettable. But within seconds, a blackout left the entire Iberian Peninsula without electricity for a whole day. A creeping fear began to grow in our author, María from Spain: was this just a power outage… or a warning sign of something far more fragile – peace itself?

An Unprecedented Event

The author’s roommates looking at the streets on the day of the blackout. (Photo: Private)

I was in the middle of a phone call, making a restaurant reservation for dinner, when the line cut on the other side. When I threw a confused look at my roommate, she showed me that her phone wasn’t charging. It didn’t take us long to figure out that the TV and the fridge weren’t working neither. On that April 28^th, there was a national blackout in Spain and Portugal.

We live in an old apartment in the old town, so blackouts happen every now and then. We were about to wait until the power returned again when we started receiving texts from our friends and families. Our relatives from all over the country started asking if we were out of power, too. We couldn’t believe that the blackout had happened not on a local, but on a national level.

A few hours later, our other roommate came in. He had walked for an hour from his university building because there were no buses running. He told us that it was like COVID all over again: the traffic was crazy – because traffic lights didn’t work – and people were queuing to buy at the supermarket. That’s when we started receiving fake news texts. Our friends and families warned that the blackout had happened all over Europe.

Conspiracy Theories

Since we live in a busy neighbourhood, we spent the whole afternoon hearing people speculating on the streets. Was it a cyberattack? If it was, did it come from America or from Russia?

I started reflecting on the tension that has risen across the whole continent during the past few years. I was sure that, if the blackout had happened months ago, people wouldn’t have been making those theories. It would have seemed unimaginable. However, it’s something that’s currently on the table. The situation ratified a thought that is becoming more and more present in my mind: My country, even though located at the south-western margin of continental Europe, might not be completely safe from a conflict. I might experience a war.

Change of Habits

Watching the news has always been part of my daily routine. I remember paying attention to them even when I was little, although my parents would cover my eyes when sensitive content appeared on the screen. Thus, I grew more and more interested in what happened in the world, in geopolitics; and, of course, I kept watching the daily news on TV.

However, now that I have graduated from Journalism school, I have suddenly found myself unable to watch them anymore. That comes with a responsibility, too; the suffering won’t stop even if I choose to close my eyes. Moreover, ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I have perceived a shift on the European society towards a validation of violence. And now, with the ongoing war in the Middle East and the aggressive rethoric articulated by politicians like Donald Trump, my fears have become even deeper.

Awakening to Reality

In George Orwell’s 1984, wars always happen outside of the national territory and the protagonist watches them from afar, certain that the bad things happen to someone else. Growing up, I became used to the fact that I lived in a “safe” country, where I was secure and harmony would always remain.

However, when I was studying Contemporary History, back in high school, I became aware of one thing: Just like I had never experienced war, there were people my age who had never experienced peace. Therefore, rather than being happy of living in Spain, I gained consciousness of my privilege, which came with a sense of impotence: Could I ever do something about it? Why was I the lucky one while they were experiencing such vulnerable situations?

Sometimes, when I am talking about this topic with my family or friends, the conversation turns to a cynical point: strategies, bureaucracy, politics, numbers. It sometimes feels like we forget that we are talking about human beings, mainly civilians, who are getting hurt and are dying every day.

Taking Peace for Granted

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I used to comfort myself remembering that I was somehow lucky. My grandparents had found themselves in a much worse situation back in the day, since they all experienced a civil war. For me, living in wartime was hard to imagine. The first time that I became afraid of it was on February 24th, 2022. Russia had just invaded Ukraine and, as soon as our teacher arrived to history class at university, he said: “Welcome to World War III.”

Yes, I reckon that he might have been exaggerating. However, ever since then, I feel like the general European mindset has changed. Countries like Austria, Norway and Sweden still have a mandatory military service, as well as the Baltic countries, with Latvia being the last one to reinstate it in 2024. This measure has also been part of political projects in other regions, like France, where it has been on Macron’s programme for a few years now. The rising of military tension has become undeniable.

Where do we Stand now?

Far-right’s ideological popularity is growing in Europe. Its parties defend violence and war as a means of political power. These ideologies are well-spread among young people all over the continent. Are we de-prioritizing peace? Have we forgotten the horrors of war? Are young Europeans also afraid of what could happen to their countries? What about those who come from countries now at war?

What do Young People Think?

At the EUSTORY Summit 2024, I had the opportunity to talk about this topic with young people coming from conflict areas.

Monika, Armenia

Monika from Armenia told me about the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which involves deep-rooted historical grievances, nationalism, and geopolitical interests. It centers on the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically populated by ethnic Armenians. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, tensions escalated into a war in the early 1990s, resulting in Armenian forces taking control of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a major offensive, reclaiming much of the territory in a six-week war. A ceasefire ended the fighting, but tensions remain high, especially after Azerbaijan regained full control of the region in 2023, prompting the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians.

Kateryna, Ukraine

Kateryna from Ukraine shared her perspective on the Ukranian war. Following the conflict that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea: during the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russian-backed separatists declared independence in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. The conflict escalated dramatically in February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, aiming to overthrow its government and reassert control over the country. Ever since then, Ukraine, backed militarily and economically by many Western nations, has resisted, but its population is suffering severely.