The Trump card: What could US abandonment of Europe look like?
christian.diet…
Mon, 02/17/2025 – 16:56
10 minutes
According to a recent survey of European experts, withdrawal from Europe by the United States would be as destabilising for the EU as a nuclear attack by Russia(1). With the return of President Donald Trump, their concerns could soon become a reality. The new administration’s initial policies – negotiating with Russia without involving Ukraine or EU allies, expecting European countries to enforce a future agreement without US backing, and attacking the EU on trade, technology and freedom of speech – raise concerns about the reliability of the US as an ally.
However, abandonment of Europe could still entail multiple scenarios. On the one hand, Trump may see abandonment as a policy goal: the US should shift focus to the defence of the US homeland and the challenge posed by China. This would result in the progressive reduction of US forces in Europe.
On the other hand, Trump could use the threat of abandonment as a bargaining chip to …read more
