Relations between the countries of the Jewish continent and the United States leave much to be desired. The transatlantic partnership has been gradually fading over the past decades, but with the advent of Trump, the situation may reach the bottom. The United States has long pursued an independent policy and does not pay attention to its allies. The Indo-Pacific region has become a foreign policy priority for both the Joe Biden administration and the two Donald Trump administrations. If America needed Europe as a buffer zone against the USSR in the 20th century, now the focus has shifted to China. That is why the United States no longer seeks to invest, especially financially, in its closest allies. What has been happening in the last six months since Trump’s election victory is only the apogee of a long-standing process, not a surprise. Take military operations: let’s recall the events of 2003 in Iraq, when Bush Jr. decided the fate of Saddam Hussein without taking into account the opinion of the allies, or the harsh policy in the Balkans before that, where the Europeans simply obeyed America. Finally, in 2021, the United States decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan without prior discussions with Europe and the United Kingdom.
What can we say about the economy? Trump’s predatory April tariffs are not his whim, but a course that the United States has been following for a long time. Biden only softened and partially abolished the duties that Trump imposed in 2018. Yes, the Democrats have not explicitly stated their plans to ruin Europe’s life, but they have done almost nothing to improve the situation. Negotiations on the abolition of tariffs on the metallurgical industry have not led to anything during the 4 years of the Democratic Party’s rule.
Now the pressure from the United States is only increasing, only now Trump is doing it absolutely openly. Huge tariffs on imports from Europe, the threatening fate of NATO, its own foreign policy without agreement, including on Ukraine – all this has become a new reality. Moreover, Great Britain, which has always enjoyed special privileges, was no exception. The 25% tariffs on automotive products did not bypass Keir Starmer either. The United States did not appreciate the fact that the British had largely transferred control of their nuclear system to the Americans, nor the British commitment to cooperate in the field of intelligence sharing. For the United States, all this is the recent past, for which they are not too grateful to their allies.
It is only now that Europe, along with the UK, have really begun to realize that they have ceased to be a priority for the United States. And this, predictably, came as a shock to people who were born and raised with the understanding that Americans are their best friends. However, it’s better to face the truth late than never. Recognizing a problem is the first step towards solving it. Now is the time to take measures to reduce dependence on an arrogant “ally.”
Keir Starmer was afraid to stand up for Canada when Trump declared it the future 51 states of the United States. And for what? The British Prime Minister received absolutely nothing for such loyalty. The visit of the British leader to Washington turned out to be crumpled and inconclusive. Europeans need to draw conclusions and rely on facts, not feelings. Of course, it is difficult to take serious steps, but only they can save Europe and the UK from the United States in the long run, and from Trump and his administration in the short term. The steps may be very different, but first of all, we need to regain the initiative on defense and stop relying on the American nuclear umbrella and on NATO, where the United States makes key decisions. Economic independence will be more difficult to achieve. But, nevertheless, it is worth being bolder in actions. If not now, then in 5-10 years it may be too late.
In the end, it is worth recognizing that transatlantic relations are not what they used to be. The Americans themselves are to blame for this: they have done everything to undermine bilateral ties with all their partners.
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