What should Europe do in response to Trump's policies – Borrell's recommendations
On May 2, the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution determined that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) warrants classification as a far-right, extremist party. In response, US President Donald Trump's secretary of state, Marco Rubio, defended the AfD and condemned the decision as an act of "tyranny in disguise." As with US Vice President J.D.
Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference in February and Elon Musk's vocal support for the European extreme right on numerous occasions, such attacks confirm that the United States is no longer Europe's ally, but has become its adversary. Read more about how Europe should respond to Donald Trump's policies in the op-ed by Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2019-2024): Breaking free from Trump's America: four steps for Europe. Borrell warns that clinging to the hope that this breakdown of transatlantic relations will be temporary,for Europe to base its strategy on such an idea would be very risky.
He offers the European Union concrete advice on how to proceed. First, Europe must respond forcefully to Trump's trade war, and not give in to his extortion concerning our regulation of Big Tech. Second, Europe must pursue steadily strategic sovereignty in defense and high technology.
Third, we must reach out to other likeminded countries that have been subjected to Trump's aggression: Japan, South Korea, Canada, and Australia. The op-ed's author notes that Mark Carney and Anthony Albanese's victories in Canada and Australia, respectively, show that the West will not simply roll over for the new illiberalism. "We should create a G6 - a G7 without the US - and build a fully European defense architecture that includes countries like the United Kingdom and Norway," suggests the former top EU diplomat.
Fourth, we should reach out to the Global South, both to ease the pressure from Trump and Putin and to preserve multilateralism. "But doing so will require significant changes. We will need to move away from "Fortress Europe" migration policies and the permissiveness shown toward Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's far-right government.
Tolerating the intolerable in Gaza has stripped us of most of our moral authority," argues Josep Borrell. Is declaring Europe's independence from America realistic? "Fortunately, recent statements by Friedrich Merz, the likely German chancellor, suggest that one of Europe's most traditionally Atlanticist countries understands the new challenge we face," Borrell notes.
He urges Europe's center-right parties should return to their traditional alliances with Social Democrats, liberals, and Greens to stand up together against Trump. "Achieving Europe's independence from the US will not be easy. But if we do not act now, and decisively, the future of our social and democratic model could be bleak," the former EU foreign-policy chief warns.
The full article originally appeared on Project Syndicate and is republished with permission from the copyright holdes.
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