The US Will Abandon Europe. But When and How?

6 comments

1. [[Gift link] ](https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-09-09/us-will-leave-europe-to-its-fate-but-when-and-how?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTcyNTg5MjA2NywiZXhwIjoxNzI2NDk2ODY3LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTSkpVUE9EV1gyUFMwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDRjA1NDUyMDU4M0E0ODU3OTcxOTQzQkFFQzg2ODBCNyJ9.VrgIMA3Ppkb0kpK0I9f3-qqEGSb7WBpPy7UeIcMyJFY)from Andreas Kluth:

   *A sad trend in world affairs, and one that is personal for me, is the growing rift in the Atlantic. I’m not talking about the* [*geological*](https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/mid-ocean-ridge.html) *one under the water (which widens by more than an inch per year) but about the geopolitical fault between the United States and Europe.*

   *As a dual citizen of the US and Germany, I’ve taken the trans-Atlantic bond for granted throughout my life. But it will loosen, if not snap. These two tectonic plates of geopolitics have long been moving in opposite directions.* 

   *No matter who wins the White House, Europeans should know that Washington is drawing up scenarios for pulling out. They’re not pretty.*

2. If Trump wins the election, he cannot unilaterally pull out of NATO. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, enacted on December 22, 2023, prohibits the President from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without approval of a two-third Senate super-majority or an act of Congress. (Source Wikipedia)

3. OP criticizes Biden/Harris approach but doesn’t point at any flaws in its actual policy and ends up suggesting Europe must get its act together, which seems to be Biden/Harris’ approach.

4. The world political climate is a like pathetic kids playground of name-calling ignorants, that hang around in little groups and plot against each other.

5. Europe is not so much a single entity as it is a vast collection of very different nations, as recent times have made it increasingly clear. The European Union as an institution is becoming less relevant.

   So the US is not abandoning Europe; it is rather being more selective in which countries in Europe it is cooperating with. Recently, the US has dramatically strengthened its relationship with many Eastern European countries (particularly Poland), at the detriment of some Central European countries, such as Germany. The US wants to create a strong buffer between Russia and the European countries to the west, and Poland is the most important anchor. During the Cold War, the buffer zone was located in Germany, now it’s located in countries further to the east, like in Poland and Romania.

6. I would argue that in practice, they already have. Europe’s confidence is shattered. They’re already gearing up to boost their own militaries (France is a great example).

   Trump’s demands that everyone pay their share, and his vocal xenophobia have already made the alliance uncertain enough that European members are starting to plan for a world where they stand on their own.