& Lessons on Allyship.
Like it or not, America has always had ties to *Europe as a whole. While it's definitely been rocky some years, we have usually had somewhat of a steadfast relationship with those across the pond. The words, specifically strung into the phrase: "coalition of the willing", recently entered my vocabulary. It's important you know that this word has long existed, but what worries me most is what this phrase represents: a potentially fatal schism between the United States and our most natural allies of the Western world.
Neither President Trump nor I were the first people to label themselves as isolationists, and we will certainly not be the last. However, the brand of isolationism promoted by Mr. Trump, which he dubs "America First," is unique in that he's the first to espouse anti-European views to such a grand extent.
Anti-European sentiment stemming from Americans peaked in the early 2000s following European critique of American foreign policy. It's always been quite fun for Republicans to poke fun at European welfare states, too. But what Mr. Trump is proposing has Ronald Reagan rolling in his grave. As a country that has been accused of committing numerous war crimes, colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism, unwanted regime change, and propaganda, Europe has stood by us throughout everything. This isn't necessarily a good thing, but more so a fact, and abandoning them in favor of Russia–our historic enemy–seems insane.
Many have suggested numerous reasons for Mr. Trump's opposition to European leaders: some say it's rooted in his overall dislike for Western Europe, his (very public) disdain for Ukraine's Voldomyr Zelenskyy (who is backed by Western Europe), boredom, insanity, and much more.
All of these are wrong. Mr. Trump has simply pursued a new brand of isolationism in which he is disinterested in investing militarily or aid-wise in different countries. Unlike traditional isolationists who seek to completely withdraw from the world stage, Mr. Trump wants America to excel on the world stage, showing off its military might, but also not invest in any of its allies. A cost-saving measure = cutting off our "friends."
Ukraine is undeniably a part of the reason why Mr. Trump has expressed significant disdain with Europe. The United States has contributed, to date, $66.5 billion to Ukraine's war against Russia, a mighty figure in comparison to Europe's $137 billion (over dozens of countries). Mr. Trump wants out.
So what would happen if Mr. Trump's stance were fully realized? Would it push Europe toward self-reliance or lead to the collapse of NATO? Hopefully and maybe.
Europe is notoriously not self-reliant. Historically, we've had to bail them out of World Wars I and II. Modernly, they essentially support every single initiative we launch, and even when they disagree, it is always in a less menacing manner. Our failed charge into Iraq, invasion of Afghanistan, decision to not intervene in Rwanda's genocide, and so much more have all been empirically supported by Europe.
They also have relied on us to fix many of their problems in today's day and age. One can only hope that Europe would become self-reliant without the support of its age-old ally in the United States, but again, one can only hope. The collapse of NATO is a maybe in the sense that it would be a temporary "collapse," or result in a self-removal of the US from NATO. Any elected Democratic President would immediately rush back into the alliance, should they be allowed back in.
While Trump's stance on Europe represents a dangerous break from long-standing alliances (as I mentioned, Ronald Reagan is rolling in his grave right now), it should also serve as a wake-up call. Europe needs to become self-reliant, and can no longer rely on the United States for military and economic support, at least through 2028. However, if America abandons her allies, it won't just be Europe that suffers, but the whole world. The 'coalition of the willing' was meant to symbolize a unified Western front, but under Trump's vision, it became a coalition of the abandoned. If America steps away, will Europe step up?
The answer to that question will determine the future of our global alliances.
*For the purposes of this article, Europe is termed as any European country within NATO, European Union, and/or the Global North.
Photo Credit:
[Header]: Created on Canva
[Embedded 1]: Getty Images
[Embedded 2]: AP Photo | Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Sources:
[3]-https://www.politico.eu/article/von-der-leyen-insists-us-still-an-ally-despite-ukraine-aid-cutoff/
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