"The Donald Trump administration has declared that European
civilization is in danger of being “erased” – this is due to decades of
economic decline, political censorship and immigration.
“In the 33-page National Security Strategy released on
Friday and signed by US President Donald Trump, the administration argues that
Europe’s cultural and political failures pose an even greater threat to the
continent’s way of life than its poor economic performance.
“This economic decline is overshadowed by the real and even
more ominous prospect of civilizational erasure,” the report says. “If current
trends continue, this continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less.”
Nearly a year after Trump returned to office, the U.S. and
its traditional allies in Europe have seen glaring ideological differences. The
White House has criticized the European Union’s (EU) actions in regulating U.S.
technology companies, publicly expressed support for European far-right parties
and threatened to cut off aid to Ukraine if Kyiv does not agree to Russian
President Vladimir Putin’s demands.
The U.S. is also urging some European countries to block an
EU plan to provide Ukraine with 90 billion euros in new funding that it needs
to continue its fight against Russia, diplomats who spoke to Bloomberg said.
Blaming Europe
The report blames the EU for many of Europe’s problems,
saying the bloc has trampled on political freedoms and failed to curb immigration,
which the U.S. says is fueling social tensions. The report also attacks what it
calls censorship and restrictions on opposition political movements.
The main US goals in Europe will be to ensure a speedy end
to the war in Ukraine, foster “resistance to the current trajectory of Europe
among European countries,” open the continent’s markets to US companies, and
prevent further expansion of NATO, the strategy states.
“Europe remains strategically and culturally important to
the United States,” the report notes. “We cannot afford to write Europe
off—that would be our own defeat in achieving the goals of this strategy.”
“Among the larger challenges facing Europe are the
activities of the European Union and other international organizations that
violate political freedom and sovereignty; migration policies that are
transforming the continent and causing discord; censorship of free speech and
the suppression of political opposition; declining birth rates; and a loss of
national identity and self-confidence,” the Trump administration said in a
document released overnight, as quoted by Politico.
The publication estimates that this narrative is likely to
resonate strongly with most European far-right parties, whose election
platforms are largely based on criticism of the EU, demands to limit migration
from Muslim and non-European countries, and patriotic aspirations to lift their
countries out of their supposed decline.
The new security strategy is based on a clear ideological
alignment between US President Donald Trump’s populist MAGA movement and
European nationalist parties.
The US administration, which is increasingly strengthening
ties with far-right parties in countries such as Germany and Spain, seems to be
hinting that it could help ideologically close European parties.
“America is encouraging its political allies in Europe to
promote this spiritual revival, and the growing influence of patriotic European
parties actually provides grounds for optimism,” the strategy states.
The document is a rare official explanation by the Trump
administration of its foreign policy worldview. Such strategies, which
presidents typically announce only once during their term, can help allocate
the US government's budget and set policy priorities. In his opening remarks,
Trump called it "a roadmap to ensure that America remains the greatest and
most successful nation in human history and the home of freedom on earth."
The "America First" Strategy: Key Points
The Trump administration on Friday released its long-awaited
national security strategy, which significantly changes US priorities in line
with Trump's "America First" worldview.
ELTA quotes AFP, which presents some of the key points by
continent.
Europe
The strategy is harsh on Europe. It supports, among other
things, claims by the far right that the continent is facing
"civilizational collapse" due to migration.
“It is more than likely that within a few decades at the
latest, non-Europeans will form majorities in some NATO members,” the document
states.
The document calls for “building resistance” in Europe. The
administration also condemns “the centrality of free speech elimination in the
EU, including a brutal crackdown on political opposition," alluding to
efforts to stifle far-right voices, including those who spoke out against
migrants.
The document also promises that there will be no NATO
expansion, further dashing Ukraine's hopes.
Latin America
The strategy presents Trump as a modernizer of the
two-century-old Monroe Doctrine, in which the then-young United States declared
that it would not allow any rival powers, including Europe, to interfere in
Latin American affairs.
The US will seek access to resources and strategic locations
in Latin America, it says, and ensure that governments are "sufficiently
stable and well-governed to prevent and deter mass migration to the United
States."
Referring to China, the strategy states that the US “will
not allow competitors from the other hemisphere to deploy forces or other
threatening capabilities or to command or control strategically important
assets.”
Asia
After decades of focusing on China’s rise, the strategy
describes the Asian nation as a competitor, but with a focus on the economy.
“We will rebalance America’s economic relationship with
China, prioritizing reciprocity and fairness to restore America’s economic
independence,” the document says.
On Taiwan, a democratically-ruled island claimed by Beijing,
the document does not back down from US calls for the status quo. However, it
does call on US allies Japan and South Korea to contribute more to Taiwan’s
defense.
The document expresses enthusiasm for growing ties with
India, which several US presidents have sought to woo but has run into friction
under Trump. The strategy calls on the United States to encourage New Delhi to
“contribute to the security of the Indo-Pacific region.”
Middle East and Africa
The Middle East has long dominated US foreign policy, but
the new document, like previous administrations’ documents, calls for less
focus. It says that growing energy dependence means the United States will be
less dependent on Persian Gulf oil, and notes the weakening of Iran due to US
and Israeli attacks.
The strategy says relatively little about Israel, which has
long been a US priority, noting only that it should be “secure.”
Even less is said about Africa, except to call for a shift
away from aid and instead focus on critical resources.
The European Commission (EC) led by Ursula von der Leyen has
strongly rejected the accusations leveled at the European Union (EU) in the
latest US national security strategy.
Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho on Friday rejected
suggestions that the EU was violating political freedom and sovereignty,
harming the continent with its migration policy and restricting freedom of
expression. But she declined to comment further on the new US national security
strategy.
“We have not had time to examine it, to assess it, so we
cannot comment on it yet,” the spokeswoman said.
The new security strategy was released by the White House on
Thursday evening. It paints a bleak picture of the situation in Europe, among
other things.
“The broader challenges facing Europe include the actions of
the European Union and other international organizations that violate political
freedom and sovereignty, migration policies that are changing the continent and
causing division, censorship of free speech and the suppression of political
opposition, falling birth rates and the loss of national identities and
self-confidence,” the document states.
Regarding the events in Ukraine, “the Trump administration
is at odds with European officials who are raising unrealistic expectations
about these events while serving in unstable minority governments, many of
which are undermining basic democratic principles in order to suppress
opposition.”
The document states that the vast majority of people in
Europe want peace, but that this desire is not reflected in practice in
politics, as these governments undermine democratic processes.
German Foreign Minister: We do not need advice
The German Foreign Minister said on Friday that Germans do
not need “advice from abroad.”
Asked about the new US strategy, German Foreign Minister
Johann Wadephul stressed that “the United States is and will remain our most
important ally in the (NATO – AFP) alliance. However, this alliance is focused
on solving security policy issues.”
“I think that (in the US strategy – ELTA) there is no place
for questions about freedom of speech or the organization of our free
societies, at least when it comes to Germany,” the minister said.
“We see ourselves as being able to discuss and debate these
issues completely independently in the future and we do not need advice from
outside,” added J. Wadephul.
Traditionally strong US-European ties have weakened since
Trump returned to the White House, with his administration taking a swipe at
the old continent on issues ranging from migration to free speech.
The Trump administration has also cultivated closer ties
with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose representatives
visited the White House in September.
Germany’s main parties have ruled out working with the AfD,
which came in second place in February’s election.
Germany’s domestic intelligence services have labeled the
AfD a “far-right extremist” party, but the latter is challenging that
conclusion in court.
The end of NATO enlargement?
The US strategy expands on the US vision for NATO, and some
aspects could raise concerns in Europe. US policy towards Europe should
prioritize the possibility of “ending the perception and preventing the reality
that NATO is an ever-expanding alliance,” the document notes.
This would mean the end of NATO’s so-called “open door”
principle, which allows the Western military alliance to admit new members.
NATO initially declined to comment on this point in the US
strategy when contacted by the dpa news agency.
Asked about the US demand for a change in burden-sharing, a
spokeswoman said that Washington’s European allies and Canada recognize the
need to invest more in defence and share the common security burden more
fairly.”
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