The US Will Abandon Europe. But When and How?
No matter who wins the White House, Europeans should know that Washington is drawing up scenarios for pulling out. They’re not pretty.
A specter haunts Europe.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
A sad trend in world affairs, and one that is personal for me, is the growing rift in the Atlantic. I’m not talking about the geological one under the water (which widens by more than an inch per year) but about the geopolitical fault between the United States and Europe. As a dual citizen of the US and Germany, I’ve taken the trans-Atlantic bond for granted throughout my life. But it will loosen, if not snap.
These two tectonic plates of geopolitics have long been moving in opposite directions. Several European NATO members have for decades skimped on defense spending, free-riding on US military might and first frustrating, then enraging American taxpayers and policymakers. Even if some now spend more on their armies, the change may be too little, too late.