“SHe no longer had any surprises; Henry James wrote in his novel Daisy Miller, “The unexpected was the only thing to be expected in his behavior. Politicians who have dealt with Donald Trump certainly recognize the sentiment. James’s character was a young American out of his depth in Europe, falling prey to prejudices. Mr. Trump is a real-world problem, and this time, Europe is suffering from American prejudices and antipathy.”
This week alone the US President has publicly mocked the British Prime Minister and the armed forces (weak), the French President (at his wedding) told allies to get their own oil – setting the Middle East on fire – and said leaving nato Was “beyond reconsideration”. Mr. Trump’s wishful thinking has outweighed the reality in Iran, where the war he and Benjamin Netanyahu started will not easily end. Their resulting frustration, concern about domestic political fallout, and desire to divert public attention was matched by a sense of vengeance toward allies who had refused to engage.
Yet his comment came as little surprise; Rather, exhausting irritation and anxiety. Mr Trump’s unpredictability is inherent, and so is the direction of travel – away from the liberal international order and traditional alliances, especially with Europe. The question is not of direction, but of time and degree. Staying in NATO in name is not the same as maintaining it. By calling it a paper tiger, they again destroyed the guarantee of collective security. His blunt statement that Vladimir Putin “knew this too” was hardly necessary. Some in Europe – including parts of the British security establishment – still hope that is an aberration, and that transatlantic relations may return to normal in a few years. But a more effective approach is also aimed at buying time for the longer project of building up Ukraine’s and European defense.
The message is getting tougher. Emmanuel Macron declared, “When you want to be serious, you don’t say every day the opposite of what you said just the day before.” But Britain is not only far more dependent on and engaged with the US security architecture than France. It is also highly vulnerable to economic retaliation after Brexit. Sir Keir Starmer called for Britain to build a bridge between the US and Europe. The Trump administration loves to burn things. The king’s state visit to Washington later this month has no clear upside and is likely to become a humiliating diplomatic debacle.
Sir Keir continued to avoid direct criticism of Mr Trump when he said this week that Britain would pursue closer economic and security ties with Europe. previous comments. That change is the right path. He knows it could reassure some Labor members attracted to the Liberal Democrats and Greens – even if it is not going as far or as fast as they would like or as is necessary. The prime minister may also hope that by focusing on the shared nightmare of security, European leaders will be more helpful on economic matters. However, the European side will ultimately demand a welcome gesture, matched with meaningfulness.
In an unpredictable world, where old structures are disintegrating, Europe must make its commitments. A strong security posture will require true cooperation, not just huge spending on domestic defense industries. There is no time for delay.
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