Transatlantic ties with the returnee in the White House
Editorial 12 November 2024The return of Trump risks marking an epochal shift that will significantly alter geopolitical balances, and European leaders now face new and urgent challenges. The war in Ukraine, with an increasingly aggressive Russia at Europe’s borders, will require EU member states to intensify their common defense policy. With the possibility of no longer relying on the traditional leadership of the United States within NATO, Europe will have to take on a stronger and more autonomous role, especially to ensure security along its eastern borders.
At the same time, the conflict in the Middle East threatens to further destabilize the region, pushing millions of people toward Europe and amplifying security risks. A new Trump administration, focused more on domestic interests than on external interventions, could reduce the U.S. commitment in these crisis areas, leaving a void that Europe will not be ready to fill without a more solid defense and cooperation strategy. This new phase seems to push the European Union toward a crossroads: to become an independent geopolitical player or to accept the growing fragmentation of global balances.
