The German magazine Der Spiegel claims that Donald Trump's return to the White House represents both a strategic shock and a turning point for Europe. According to the analysis, the behavior of the US administration forces the continent to choose between continued dependence on the United States and building real autonomy in matters of security, technology and foreign policy.
Meeting of European leaders/PHOTO:X
The publication notes that during his second term, Trump has reacted harshly to any sign of weakness, including in relations with European allies. Der Spiegel recalls ironic remarks directed at French President Emmanuel Macron, trade pressures on the European Commission and tensions generated by statements on Greenland, a territory Trump suggested the US should control for strategic reasons.
According to the magazine, these episodes reflect a paradigm shift: the United States is no longer automatically perceived as the guarantor of European security, but an actor that pursues its own interests, even at the expense of traditional partners.
A world of spheres of influence
Der Spiegel's analysis states that Trump's vision of international relations approaches that promoted by Russia and China, in which great powers divide their spheres of influence and international law becomes secondary. In this context, Europe risks being marginalized if it does not strengthen its capacity for action.
The publication points out that the European Union would need structural changes to defend its sovereignty, including a more coherent defense policy, reducing the fragmentation of the military industry and closer coordination between member states.
Imperial reflexes as a means of survival
If Europe wants to survive in the “jungle of empires”, it will have to give up its role as a passive observer. To protect its own sovereignty, the EU needs radical changes:
1. A common defense policy: abandoning national arms producers in favor of a pan-European arms commissioner. The EU currently operates around 180 different types of weapons systems, creating logistical chaos, while the US gets by with only thirty standard models.
2. Nuclear deterrence: With the American umbrella no longer reliable, Europe needs its own shield. This could be either an extension of the French nuclear doctrine to the entire EU, or the creation of its own nuclear capability by a German-led coalition. That would require a revision of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but inaction leaves the continent defenseless against Putin, who has his finger on the trigger for 1,700 Russian nuclear warheads.
3. The alliance of key countries: The creation of a core of power that should include Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and, ideally, Ukraine, which today has the largest and most hardened army on the continent.
Economic power as a political weapon
Europe appears weak only because it has not yet learned to use its power. From an economic point of view, the EU is a giant with a GDP of over 18 trillion euros and 450 million consumers. Brussels has the means to force Trump to back down, as China has already done by restricting exports of rare earths and imports of soybeans.
Europe can fight back through financial and digital tools:
-Control over SWIFT: A key hub for global payments is in Belgium. Its use as a political weapon could paralyze US international dealings.
-Gold reserves: The Bundesbank can withdraw 1,236 tons of gold stored at the US Federal Reserve in New York.
-Technological sovereignty: Creating own artificial intelligence solutions (eg Mistral AI) and limiting US tech giants (Meta, Google, X) making billions on the European market. The success of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, founded in the 1970s as a competitor of the American company Boeing, proves that Europe is capable of winning the technological race.
Trump is becoming toxic for the European right
Interestingly, Trump's imperial ambitions have begun to alienate even his traditional supporters in Europe. Politicians like Alice Weidel (AfD) or Marine Le Pen are forced to distance themselves from the US president after the invasion of Greenland, because their voters do not want to see their country as an American vassal. This gives liberal forces the chance to build an election campaign on defending European interests from external pressures.
Der Spiegel concludes that Europe is facing the most complex security situation since the Cold War. Maintaining the illusion of a strain-free relationship with the Trump administration could have major costs. At the same time, assuming greater autonomy would mean accepting responsibility for one's own security, including support for Ukraine.
In this context, European officials warn of increasing pressures on EU unity. European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently said transatlantic relations are strained, but stressed that a rift between the allies would benefit Europe's adversaries.
