Both NATO and EU face existential crisis over Trump doctrine
By Nitya Chakraborty
For rich European nations, especially the troika Germany, France and Britain, the
geopolitical situation that is unfolding in the year 2026 has enough elements of an existential
crisis as a result of the announcement of the US policy on global security which marginalizes
the role of European nations and NATO in the overall understanding of the Trump.2
administration.
Three developments relating to the US understanding of global scenario unfolded in the last
seven days indicating that Trump administration is gradually withdrawing its commitments to
Europe signalling the end of the post second world war arrangement that has been
continuing for the last eight decades since the end of the Second World War in 1945. These
three included Trump’s interview to the prestigious magazine Politico released on December
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9, the US Security Policy in Perspective released by the state department on December 4
and third was the unofficial interview given by Pentagon to Reuter. All three made clear that
the Trump.2 administration has initiated vigorous steps to delink USA from Europe in terms
of its dependence on security.
The most important part of the Trump interview to Politico was that Donald Trump hinted he
could walk away from supporting Ukraine as he stepped up on his administration’s recent
criticism of Europe, describing it as “weak” and “decaying” and claiming that Ukraine could
not win the war against Russia with just Europe’s support. It was apparent that Trump was
angry that on December 8, the three leaders of Germany, France and Britain talked to
President Zelenskyy and assured him all support to continue the war ignoring the peace plan
of Trump. To spite that view of the European tricks, the Trump interview was released the
next day in which Trump asked President Zelenskyy to accept the peace plan arguing that
Moscow retained the upper hand and Zelenskyy must play the ball as per US wishes and not
dictated by the Europeans.
Trump said “If it keeps going the way it’s going, Europe will not be … in my opinion … many
of those countries will not be viable countries any longer. Their immigration policy is a
disaster. What they’re doing with immigration is a disaster. We had a disaster coming, but I
was able to stop it.” The tirade against the European nations on the peace formula to end
the Ukraine war, was total. It was apparent that the U.S. President was losing his patience in
dealing with the obstructionist policies of the European nations which depend on the US for
assistance in both economic and military areas.
While the latest interview to Politico dealt mainly on Trump’s distrust of his European allies
relating to Ukraine peace plan, the US. Security paper released five days ago dealt on long
term and fundamental issues regarding US relationship with Europe. Donald Trump’s
administration has said Europe faces “civilisational erasure” within the next two decades as
a result of migration and EU integration, arguing in the document that the US must “cultivate
resistance” within the continent to “Europe’s current trajectory”.
Billed as “a roadmap to ensure America remains the greatest and most successful nation in
human history and the home of freedom on earth”, the US National Security Strategy makes
explicit Washington’s support for Europe’s nationalist far-right parties. Already Trump is
backing Far Right International body helping Reform UK of Farage in Britain, Le Pen’s party
in France and AFD in Germany. But now through this document, the assistance to Far Right
parties in Europe has been made as a part of US government strategy.
The document, with a signed introduction by Trump, says Europe is in economic decline but
its “real problems are even deeper”, including “activities of the EU that undermine political
liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent, censorship of
free speech and suppression of political opposition … and loss of national identities”.
The 33-page exposition of Trump’s “America First” worldview appears to espouse the racist
“great replacement” conspiracy theory, saying several countries risk becoming “majority non-
European” and Europe faces “the real and stark prospect of civilisational erasure”. It adds:
“Should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognisable in 20 years or less.”
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at D-34, Gulmohar Park, New Delhi-110049
US policies must therefore include “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within
European nations” as well as enabling Europe to “take primary responsibility for its own
defence” and “opening European markets to US goods and services”.
As regards to the future of NATO, Pentagon unofficially told Reuter, that USA is readying for
withdrawing most of its troops and weapons by the end of 2027. Europe has to fend for itself
in protecting its own security. Pentagon also bemoans that despite warnings, the NATO
member countries in general have not been taking the agreed steps to raise their defence
expenditure. The US can not take additional responsibilities in NATO as it has been doing
now.
In totality, all the three signify a definite trend of the US foreign and defence policy emerging
in the New Year which calls for marginalization of both NATO and EDU in terms of their
relationship with the USA. The issue has become more fundamental relating to the way
some of the major issues including immigration and religious freedom are looked at by the
developed countries. For Europe, the coming New Year will be a testing period for its
alliance with the USA. (IPA Service)
