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Opinion | Europe must forge strategic independence from the US to ensure its political survival
- If the EU wants to be a viable actor in the emerging world order and not merely an appendage of one of the two superpowers, it must be able to protect itself instead of relying on outside help for its security
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Faced with various crises and the prospect of fading support from the United States, the European Union needs to establish strategic independence. However, the continent continues to move in circles and cannot even compromise on the basics.
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The US appears to be slowly turning its back on Europe and China is positioning itself in the new bipolar world order, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has invaded a European democracy for his neo-imperial fantasies. This, in a nutshell, is the environment in which Europe finds itself.
If the EU seeks to remain or become – depending on the observer – a viable actor in this world order and not merely an appendage of one of the two superpowers, it needs the capability to protect itself as well as shape and design actionable policies.
Donald Trump’s presidency and Putin’s war in Ukraine have shown member states that the good old days of security guarantees from Washington and peace on the European continent can no longer be taken for granted. It was not a coincidence that EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen demanded in 2019 that the EU needed to learn “the language of power”.
However, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has laid bare the fact Brussels simply does not speak that language. After all, if Ukraine had relied on Europe alone, it would most likely be Russian territory by now.
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Power, security and defence remain concepts where different views of 27 member states collide, and rhetoric and reality never seem on a par. The Baltic states and Poland, for instance, consider the US and Nato to be indispensable as security guarantors.
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