Never Waste a Good Crisis: Forcing Europe to Stand Up for Itself

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June 7th, 2017 by Josef Braml

U.S. President Donald Trump shook the post-war foundation of German foreign policy: its integration into the European Union (EU) and NATO. By questioning Pax Americana and trying to divide and conquer Europe, Trump has been forcing European – and particularly German – leaders to stand up for their vital interests.

Discussions about fair burden sharing in defense are nothing new; in fact, they are as old as NATO itself. Nowadays, however, U.S. complaints are more forceful. Trump’s predecessor, President Barack Obama, in his speech at the foot of Berlin’s Victory Column in 2008, described NATO as outdated if it could not adjust to new challenges. There were constant attempts during the Obama presidency to reach an agreement on how to face global challenges together.

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Categorized as:InternationalTagged with:Europe European Union NATO United States

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Never Waste a Good Crisis: Forcing Europe to Stand Up for Itself

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