Europe's 'Strategic Supplication' Is Just NATO's Old Habit
When the FT decries Europe's 'tremulous response' to figures like Trump, they present it as a modern affliction. Yet, this isn't a new posture; it's a feature, not a bug, of the post-WWII transatlantic relationship. From Cold War containment to the 'War on Terror,' European leaders have consistently followed Washington's lead, often with minimal strategic divergence. (Remember the Iraq War
coalitions of the willing, or the steadfast support for sanctions regimes, irrespective of impact on European economies?) The current hand-wringing over Trump simply rehashes a well-worn script. Europe's 'policy' of strategic supplication is less a response to Trump and more a continuation of NATO-era deference, albeit now with a more openly transactional American partner. Perhaps the real novelty
isn't Europe's bowing, but the US finally demanding its partners explicitly pay for the privilege. What's the Financial Times really surprised about?