Nothing bothers the European elite as much as American conservatives praising the European foundations of their shared, but threatened, Western civilization.

Europeans especially resent having their social-welfare state system critiqued by upstart, crass Americans.

Their pique only increases as they push back against the condescending American idea that the U.S. could possibly offer any constructive advice, much less help a more civilized Europe follow the “American model.”

Americans, in turn, are worried that Europe is not just stagnating but is on a trajectory of permanent decline — with dire consequences for the entire Western world. As for symptoms, the U.S. cites a steadily declining European share of world GDP.

More than 10 percent of Europe’s resident population is now foreign-born — some 45 million people. Unlike America’s mostly Christian-nation immigration patterns, European immigrants are predominantly from the Middle East and North Africa, Islamic and increasingly anti-Western.

The Christian Church, the linchpin of Western civilization, was born in Europe. Yet nowhere do atheism, agnosticism, and open hostility to Christendom grow stronger.

Europe’s overregulation and war on fossil fuels, combined with a generous social welfare state, have resulted in too little revenue and too many costly dependents.

Americans dare to lecture Europe because the same Western pathologies — open borders, unassimilated immigrants, tribalism, declining fertility, green fanaticism, unsustainable budget deficits, and massive national debt — are beginning to threaten America.

But unlike Europe, millions of Americans at the 11th hour are galvanizing to stop their own insidious downward spiral.

So Americans claim to know firsthand the causes for these shared, but even more distressing, European symptoms of decay. And their answers are the threats of several dangerous ideologies. One pathology is green fanaticism, which has led Europeans to not only ignore their fossil fuel resources but also to dismantle existing coal, nuclear and natural gas plants.

Other existential threats are diversity/equity/inclusion mandates — a precivilizational emphasis on tribal affinities of race and religion rather than shared national values.

America warns Europe that only cutbacks in unsustainable entitlements can allow it to reboot its militaries enough to prevent Russian bullying, protect supply lines of imported fuels and deter terrorists.

And what happens if a petulant and snarky Europe utterly rejects the American prognosis? America will decide that it can no longer afford, as NATO’s leader, to protect European borders when it struggles at home to ensure its own.

The EU attacks the U.S. nonstop on matters of culture, energy, trade, censorship and foreign policy. Yet nearly the same nations of a 32-member NATO alliance — Europe’s other face — praise America for its military leadership and call for closer U.S.-European strategic relations.

This one-eyed Jack policy of censoring and fining American companies, blasting American allies at the United Nations. Is there a solution? Perhaps, given that both civilizations are offering diametrically opposed correctives to their morbidities.

Europe is only growing more socialist, censorious, globalist, pacifist, multicultural, atheistic and green.

In contrast, the U.S. is undergoing a counter-revolution toward smaller government, fewer regulations, more fossil fuels, an expanding military, less DEI and woke, more secure borders, legal-only immigration and renewed faith.

Only one of these competing solutions will solve the shared crisis of Western civilization.

And let us hope the one remedy that works will be fully adopted by both.