NATO allies don’t wish to confront Trump’s aggression. However they might finally not have a alternative.
President Donald Trump hosts a gathering with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on the White Home on August 18, 2025.
(Win McNamee / Getty Photographs)
On Tuesday, European leaders met in Paris to try to clear up their two largest foreign-policy challenges. They had been glad to speak brazenly about considered one of them: methods to strengthen Ukraine because it fends off a Russian invasion. However there was additionally one other drawback—one they don’t seem to be practically as desirous to deal with in public:the truth that their ostensible ally, america, is now a serious menace to world peace.
Donald Trump simply carried out an exterior coup in Venezuela and kidnapped the president of that nation—and he’s solely getting began. Within the wake of this violent assertion of American dominance over the Western Hemisphere, Trump has began threatening different neighboring international locations, promising interventions in Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia. And, most pertinently for Europe, he’s renewing his vows to annex Greenland.
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Trump’s efforts to create extra Lebensraum for america are creating particular issues for European international locations that depend on NATO as their safety ensures. The alliance is popping out to be not only a defend but additionally a lure. Dependence on NATO means European international locations aren’t ready to problem america when it threatens their nationwide safety
Chatting with The New York Instances, Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Overseas Relations, said,
There’s a huge hole between private and non-private reactions from European leaders.
Privately, they’re panicking about what occurs subsequent, particularly in Greenland and what they could do about it. However publicly on Venezuela, they’re determined to not say something crucial or invoke worldwide regulation on Trump at a time of most peril for Ukraine. They wish to use the affect they’ve for Ukraine.
Nathalie Tocci, director of the Institute of Worldwide Affairs in Italy, described Trump as pursuing a coverage that’s “persistently imperial” which is able to enable different empires, corresponding to Russia and China, to flourish. Tocci added, “Definitely it’s extra comfy for Putin and Xi Jinping to be their imperial selves the place that’s the brand new norm.”
In Trump’s back-to-the-imperial-future world, the place massive powers as soon as once more unabashedly dominate their supposed spheres of affect, america and Russia aren’t a lot opponents as fellow gangsters who reinforce one another. NATO, on this worldview, is a safety racket that the US earnings from as a result of it may possibly promote weapons to its putative allies. The Russian menace to Europe makes the premium for that safety increased.
The hazard of dependence on america has lengthy been articulated by leaders corresponding to Charles de Gaulle, who dominated French politics in the course of the final century. De Gaulle’s warnings, little heeded of their time, appear prescient now.
The query for the Europeans is, how lengthy do they wish to keep in such a safety racket? The New York Instances reports,
Bruno Maçães, a Portuguese former secretary of state for European affairs, have been outspoken in urging the European Union to provide you with a potential counteroffensive ought to Mr. Trump transfer on Greenland, together with sanctions on American firms, the expulsion of American navy personnel and restrictions on American journey to Europe. Raphaël Glucksmann, a French member of the European Parliament, has suggested establishing a European military base on Greenland, as a sign to Washington and a dedication to the island’s safety.
Writing in Function, Dalibor Rohac, a senior fellow on the American Enterprise Institute, advocates an identical set of harsh punishments that will make america respect the sovereignty of European international locations, together with curtailment of weapons gross sales, refusal to permit the US to make use of European navy bases for missions within the Center East, and discount of commerce ties. Rohac additionally suggests, “An extra step can be the sanctions lists. Journey bans and asset freezes must be imposed on key administration figures in addition to on its monetary backers.”
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These proposals are actually commensurate with the menace US imperialism poses not simply to Europe however to the security of the world. However it’s unlikely that European leaders have the boldness to execute them. Up to now, their response to Trump’s transgressions has been meek tut-tutting. In a mewling interview final weekend, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to even say that the US violated worldwide regulation by invading Venezuela. Requested about Trump’s threats towards Greenland, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “I can not think about a situation by which america of America can be positioned ready to violate Danish sovereignty.” These will not be leaders who appear ready to take radical actions to problem Trump’s lawlessness.
However this timidity could not be capable to face up to Trump’s ruthless energy politics. European leaders, not for the primary time, are attempting to fend off an aggressive and expansionist authoritarian energy by appeasement. There may be little cause to assume such appeasement will work. Trump will hold pushing for increasingly. Given this dynamic, Europeans face a stark alternative: resistance or give up. The open query is whether or not the spirit of resistance is powerful sufficient for them to take the novel steps crucial, which contain not simply standing as much as Trump but additionally remaking their nationwide safety insurance policies so they’re not depending on US energy.
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