In February 2019, Vice President Pence spoke at the annual NATO security conference in Munich but received a less than warm reception from America’s European allies. The conference is an annual gathering where NATO allies meet to resolve their differences with the rest of the world. This year, however, the primary differences were between allies, specifically the US and the EU.
The sparring began early. In contrast to her typically staid demeanor, final-term German Chancellor Angela Merkel let out a broadside against Pence and the Trump Administration, issuing a point-by-point take-down of its policies. Pence followed by reaffirming America’s commitment to NATO, and then prodding European leaders to spend more on their own defense and to follow America out of the Iran deal. For the rest of the conference, some European military leaders seemed openly contemptuous of the American delegation.
Some in Europe see the Trump Administration as the cause of friction with the EU, while others see a changing America as the cause; however, I offer a third candidate—growing regionalism. The two parts of the world simply have slowly diverging priorities. Even Angela Merkel had announced that Europe needed to “take our destiny into our own hands”; and many in Europe talk openly about the need to reduce dependency on America for protection, which, by the way, seems perversely consistent with Trump Administration policy.
As regionalism grows, we can expect a widening separation. While the US and Europe may always be cordial, owing to historical origins and common cause in world wars, they won’t necessarily be as close as they once were. And while Trump Administration policy may hasten the division—perhaps even by a generation—it is nonetheless part of a long-term trend, and not unexpected.
Reference: Washington Post, “Merkel lets loose at conference with takedown of Trump policies,” 17 Feb 2019, A20.
No responses yet