Europe Can’t Trust the U.S. Anymore

11 comments

1. Eliot A. Cohen: “The idea—and it is an idea, though a very bad one—that the [Trump] administration will make the United States safer by cutting a deal with Russia over the heads of our European allies is the kind of folly that only mediocre statesmen who think they are sophisticated tough guys can come up with. Such a deal would undermine America’s greatest international strengths—its alliances and its credibility—and reward two malicious powers whose hostility is profound, deeply rooted (in ideology and in fear of democratic contagion), and ineluctable. 

   “… But it is also crucial to grasp the underlying forces at work here. Europe’s long dependence upon the United States for its fundamental security is untenable. This has been clear for a very long time indeed … The eruptions of the Trump administration against NATO come in this context; conceivably, they were bound to come. Versions of the same critique, with much less vitriol, have been offered repeatedly, including by far friendlier administrations.

   “Deeper yet, European trust in a benign and protecting United States is the product of some selective memory. Although it is true that for nearly 80 years, the United States extended protection, including its nuclear umbrella, over Europe, let us not forget the bitter acrimony that has periodically beset the alliance.

   “… Americans and Europeans have been different and remain so, even if it is now possible to get excellent wine, bread, and coffee in the United States and jeans and rap music in Europe. Their concepts of liberty, free speech, and the appropriate roles of government are not the same, as J. D. Vance noted at the Munich Security Conference, although he should have had the courtesy and good sense to emphasize how much we have in common, and acknowledge that the differences were none of his business.

   “… In the long run, a more normal kind of American administration will return. With it will also return productive and predictable relationships, cooperation, and friendship. But after the past two months, there cannot, and should not ever be, trust. One Trump administration was a mistake; two Trump administrations will be read, correctly, as a divergence that can never be repaired. The Atlantic alliance can be rebuilt, but its foundations will never be the same, and in some ways that is not an entirely bad thing. A well-armed Europe—even including, as the Polish prime minister has recently suggested, one with a larger group of nuclear powers—will be a good thing. A Europe free of its unnatural material and psychological dependence on the United States will benefit both sides.

   “As for the Trump administration, however, the mistrust should be of a completely different order. The man, the ideas, and the structural conditions have created a hellish synthesis, and Europe faces at this moment the utmost peril. If it frees itself of its psychological dependence, opens its treasuries, and unleashes the energy of its democratic societies, it can defend itself, including Ukraine. In the meanwhile, and with the deepest regret, I say that any European leader who believes any promise that comes out of the mouth of a Trump-administration official is a fool. For four years at least, you are in grave danger, because you simply cannot trust us.”

   Read more: [https://theatln.tc/DLOda7zi](https://theatln.tc/DLOda7zi) 

2. If we’re being honest, no one should trust the US.

3. As the only NATO member invoking article 5 historically. The US got the support it wanted from it’s allies after 9/11.

4. Even Trump can’t afford to lose Europe tho. It would be humiliating for any president to squander the prosperity and power projection that the US gains from its military presence in Europe.

   Trump thinks power as zero-sum game, but so does Putin.

5. Noone ever should trust the US. The U.S. has a long history of abandoning allies when it serves its interests. Examples include:

   * **19th Century:** The U.S. repeatedly broke treaties with Native American tribes, leading to land seizures and forced relocations.
   * **Poland (1945):** At Yalta, the U.S. let Poland fall under Soviet control despite being a WWII ally.
   * **Iran (1953):** The CIA overthrew Prime Minister Mossadegh, installing the Shah, which led to the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
   * **Vietnam (1973):** The U.S. signed a peace treaty but later cut aid, leading to the fall of South Vietnam.
   * **Chile (1973):** The U.S. backed a coup against elected President Allende, leading to Pinochet’s dictatorship.
   * **Kurds (1991, 2019):** The U.S. encouraged Kurdish uprisings but later abandoned them to repression and attacks.
   * **Panama (1989):** The U.S. supported then invaded and ousted Noriega.
   * **Iran Nuclear Deal (2018):** The U.S. withdrew despite Iran’s compliance.
   * **Trade/Treaty Withdrawals (2017):** The U.S. exited the Paris Agreement and TPP, frustrating allies.
   * **Afghanistan (2021):** The chaotic U.S. withdrawal left Afghan allies behind.

6. Why is there something that happened?

7. Very well articulated summary of where things stand. It is honestly baffling how everyone seems to agree it would be in the best interest of every one in the west to see a remilitarized Europe, and yet we (EU) fail so miserably at getting anything going.

8. As a US citizen, I don’t trust us any more! If you can’t trust yourselves – Absolutely no one should be.

9. It will be a sweet revenge if Europe as a whole demands the full expulsion of US troops from European soil, just like what they did to the Soviet troops in 1989.

10. The US can’t trust the US. I trust my local government and that is about it.

11. Paywalled sadly.

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