January 16, 2019
Transatlanticism, Interrupted
Of all the smears that US President Donald Trump has made, his mendacious claims about the European Union are perhaps the most egregious. “Nobody treats us much worse than the European Union,” Trump said in October. “The European Union was formed in order to take advantage of us on trade, and that’s what they’ve done.”
Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. Yet whenever I raise concerns over comments like these with friends serving in the Trump administration, I always get the same response: ignore the rhetoric and the tweets; pay attention to the policies. Should those of us who worry about America’s longstanding alliances be reassured by this argument?
On one hand, some of the Trump administration’s policies – not least the significant increase in funding for the European Deterrence Initiative – do indeed reflect a firm commitment to America’s European allies. But, on the other hand, such policies are not enough to counter the lasting damage that Trump is inflicting on the transatlantic relationship with his destructive rhetoric and evident contempt for Europe.
Read the full article in Project Syndicate.
More from CNAS
-
Trump Should Walk from Putin Negotiations
Video
Trump will walk from the Ukraine-Russia negotiations as his lack of “patience” means its “just a matter of time”, says Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a ...
By Jim Townsend
-
Putin’s Pressure Point
Commentary
Trump’s handling of Russia diverges sharply from his approach to every other country....
By Edward Fishman
-
Why We Should Worry About Nuclear Weapons Again
Commentary
Today’s global nuclear landscape is far more complicated and, in many ways, more precarious....
By Jon B. Wolfsthal
-
Why EU Enlargement Is a Strategic Necessity for the United States
Commentary
Increased European prosperity is a net benefit to the United States....
By Nicholas Lokker
