Trump’s recent remarks—describing Europe as “declining nations” led by “weak” leaders—are not merely a passing political outburst but an exact reflection of Washington’s behavioural logic toward its allies. He held Europe responsible for the failures in Ukraine and even floated the possibility of reducing military support. The message is explicit: alliance with the United States is defined not by mutual respect but by compliance.
Since the end of World War II, Europe has aligned itself with Washington in pursuit of security, investment, and global influence—from military involvement in Afghanistan to backing sanctions on various countries, supporting Israel, and taking part in the war in Ukraine. Yet the returns on this alignment have not strengthened Europe’s position; rather, they have relegated it to a subordinate actor in international politics—one unable to secure even its own defense independently, compelled to foot NATO’s bills and to absorb the economic priorities of the United States.
The result is visible in the humiliating displays of European leaders in the White House and their acceptance of quasi-capitulatory economic agreements: a dependence once masked by the illusion of partnership has now hardened into structural indignity.
Submission to power or persistence in resistance?
A reading of the U.S. National Security Strategy and Trump’s statements reveals two diverging paths: the first is submission—exemplified by Europe. The second is resistance—visible in China, Russia, Iran, and emerging multipolar mechanisms such as BRICS.
Europe represents the first trajectory in full: a continent that yielded to Washington and, with each retreat, accepted a new set of demands. By contrast, states built on independent decision-making—despite sanctions, media pressure, and security threats—chose not to yield, instead reinforcing their economic and geopolitical strategies.
China has transitioned from a formally designated threat to a “recognized rival”; Russia has, despite unprecedented sanctions, consolidated its battlefield position in Ukraine; and Iran—through economic resilience, defense advances, and direct retaliation against Israel—has shifted from a “containable threat” to a “firmly established regional power.” These developments have forced the United States to pull back from global ambition and retreat into its own periphery, effectively returning to a Monroe-style doctrine.
This is where the true contours of the emerging order lie: the cost of resistance is lower than the cost of surrender.
A crisis of trust in Europe: fractures in an alliance
Washington’s repeated affronts have triggered an identity shock within Europe. Officials such as Kaja Kallas and Alice Rufo have openly warned that the U.S. National Security Strategy is “ruthless” and grounded in a domination-oriented worldview. Josep Borrell has described it as a “declaration of political war against Europe.” Such admissions show that the transatlantic divide has reached a structural level.
Europe is confronting a truth it has long avoided: the United States is not a partner—it is an overshadowing hegemon.
If this trajectory continues, migration pressures, demographic stagnation, security anxiety, and energy dependence will transform Europe into a semi-passive bloc; a continent whose deeper integration into Washington’s architecture only accelerates the erosion of its autonomy and strategic identity.
Final crossroads: subordination or redefinition of independence
Europe stands at a historic moment of decision. If it stays on its current path, it will eventually face the decline of soft power, economic weakening, and growing domestic political turmoil. The alternative—though costly—opens a route to reclaiming an independent geopolitical identity.
Global developments show that the price of resistance is far lower than that of capitulation, a reality made plain by America’s behavior, its retreat from global engagement, and the rise of a multipolar order. Europe’s future depends on whether it chooses to define power or to be defined by it—whether it will stand upright or continue to bend.
NOURNEWS