How Europe Is Moving to Reduce Dependence on Trump
Since President Trump made threats about Greenland, the continent’s leaders have debated the rapid deterioration of U.S. ties in policy papers and at dinner. More
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Trump wants our attention. Let’s stop falling for his geopolitical clickbait | Catherine De Vries
Whether he’s targeting Greenland, tariffs or Iran, Trump’s agenda is to distract – because a Europe that is always reacting is never planningWhen Donald Trump reassured the world that he would not, after all, use force to acquire Greenland – after days of threatening as much – he was doing what he does best: turning geopolitics into a spectacle. Whether Trump ever truly believed the US should acquire a vast Arctic territory belonging to a Nato ally is secondary to the fact that, once again, he ensured that Europe and the rest of the world were focused on his agenda.Trump is not a politician who responds to events – he seeks to make them. Not because he is deeply invested in policy detail, but because he understands a defining feature of contemporary politics: attention is power. In an era of information overload, there is no scarcity of data or analysis; what is lacking is attention. And whoever controls that controls the debate. Continue reading… More
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In Trump’s Shadow, India and the European Union Expand Trade Ties
After nearly 20 years of negotiations, the two sides struck a far-reaching agreement that officials called “the mother of all trade deals.” More
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As Europe’s Reliance on U.S. Natural Gas Grows, So Does Trump’s Leverage
Tension over Greenland has prompted worries that the Trump administration could turn the U.S. oil and gas industry into a way to pressure Europe. More
- in US Politics
The Guardian view on Europe’s payments problem: sovereignty starts at the till | Editorial
Donald Trump’s leverage over Visa and Mastercard highlights a blind spot in Europe’s ‘independence’ strategy. Emulating India’s response might helpWhen the centre-left French politician Aurore Lalucq posted a warning last Wednesday that Donald Trump could cut off Europe from international payment systems, the clip went viral. To many, her message made sense. After all, if Mr Trump was prepared to test allies’ boundaries over Greenland, it is not far-fetched to imagine Visa and Mastercard becoming used against a recalcitrant Europe.The US can turn off payment systems it controls. Russia learned this first-hand after sanctions were rightly applied for its invasion of Ukraine. As up to 60% of Russian retail transactions depended on Visa and Mastercard for authorisation, the ban left many ordinary people stranded without access to funds and unable to buy goods. Under Mr Trump, America’s goal is to “help Europe correct its current trajectory”. Given such talk, Ms Lalucq, who chairs the European parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee, is not wrong in calling for an “Airbus of European payments” to protect the EU. Continue reading… More
- in Elections
What Europe Learned From the Greenland Crisis
Territorial integrity is a core tenet of Europe that is at risk from Russian and American imperialism. Brussels has fought back. More
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NATO as We Know It Is Coming to an End, and That’s OK
Europe has a chance to step out of America’s shadow. More
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Europe Has a Bazooka. Time to Use It.
For now, Europe’s anti-coercion instrument is less a bazooka than a waterlogged firecracker. More
- in US Politics
Greenland crisis: Europe needs the US, but it also needs to stand up to Trump
US president’s increasingly bellicose demands for control of the island may force the EU to draw a line in the snow Greenland: new shipping routes, hidden minerals – and a frontline between the US and Russia?The crisis over Greenland may deliver the moment when Europe must stand up to Donald Trump, as officials have said a US attempt to annex the territory could shatter the Nato transatlantic alliance.European leaders have entertained Trump’s demands for nearly a year as he has pushed Nato countries to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP, and threatened to pull US support from Ukraine as part of a peace process that appears to favour Russia. They have also given a muted response to US adventurism abroad including the capture and rendition of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading… More
