President Trump has shown a willingness to fracture the trans-Atlantic alliance with his tariffs and demands for higher military spending.The New York Times reports that President Trump’s actions have shown a willingness to damage the trans-Atlantic alliance by imposing tariffs and demanding higher military spending from European allies. This is a stark contrast to former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s approach of rallying European allies to resist Russian aggression. Trump’s attitude towards Europe has been hostile for decades, viewing them as economic competitors and geopolitical parasites. His recent decision to impose tariffs on America’s partners, including Ukraine but not on Russia or North Korea, highlights his disregard for the trans-Atlantic alliance that has maintained peace in Europe for 80 years. This, combined with his demand for NATO allies to spend more on their military and his expressed desire to seize territory from Denmark, a NATO ally, has caused long-term damage to American relations with Europe that may never be fully repaired. Economist and former director of the German Council on Foreign Relations, Guntram Wolff, believes that this changes the 80-year history of the trans-Atlantic alliance being the core of the Western world and the global multilateral system. While Brussels may try to salvage some of these relationships, it cannot do so alone and this could potentially benefit Russia, NATO’s main adversary. However, the recent drop in oil prices has also affected Russia.
Source:Read More