14 November 2024

The United States Now Wants European Strategic Autonomy

Max Bergmann

The election of Donald Trump for a second term will likely initiate a transformation in transatlantic relations. The administration’s agenda will mark a massive shift in U.S. post–Cold War policy toward Europe. Instead of seeking to preserve and maintain the United States’ preeminent role in Europe, a Trump administration is likely to pull back and largely leave Europe to Europeans.

But the Trump administration’s objective should not simply be to pull back from Europe but also to do so in a way that makes Europe stronger. This goal is achievable and does not require an expensive or exhaustive diplomatic effort. However, it does entail avoiding the “divide and rule” tactics that the United States has adopted toward Europe since the end of the Cold War, as well as supporting a common European effort toward defense. That might go against much of the incoming Trump administration’s DNA, but an abrupt pullback that leaves Europe in disarray is not in anyone’s interests and will inevitably prompt Europe to hedge in the U.S.-China rivalry. In short, the Trump administration should want a stronger Europe, not a weaker one, and that will require some engagement on its part.

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