Trump sta rendendo di nuovo grande l’Europa – tutti i grandi salti per l’unità europea sono stati causati da shock geopolitici. L’UE può farlo di nuovo

FT’s chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman:

*[…] The US president has courted Russia, undermined faith in the Nato alliance, threatened the EU with tariffs and boosted the far right in Europe. All this has had a galvanising effect on the EU. Fundamental steps towards greater European unity – stalled for decades – are now under way.*

*There are three key areas to watch. The first is European defence; the second is joint European debt; the third is repairing the breach between the UK and the EU.*

*Dramatic swings in European public opinion underpin these developments. A poll last week showed that 78 per cent of British people regard Trump as a threat to the UK. Some 74 per cent of Germans and 69 per cent of the French agree.*

*In another poll, France was rated as a “reliable partner” by 85 per cent of Germans and Britain scored 78 per cent – the US is down at 16 per cent.*

*Many European leaders agree that Trump’s America is now a threat, though few will say it out loud for diplomatic reasons. They are also uncomfortably aware of how the transatlantic alliance, now in its eighth decade, has made them highly dependent on American military support.*

*This is not just a question of money. The really dangerous dependencies are on US technology and weaponry.*

*[…] There will be plenty of disagreements and setbacks on the way to greater European unity. France and Germany are already clashing over how the new EU defence fund will spend its money.*

*Every clash like that will feed the scepticism of those who say that Europe will never get its act together. There were similar doubts and setbacks on the often bumpy road to setting up the original European coal and steel community in the 1950s and the single currency in the 1990s.*

*But European leaders got there in the end because the political imperative to agree was so overwhelming.*

*All of the great leaps forward for European unity have been caused by geopolitical shocks – first the end of the second World War; then the end of the cold war. Now, courtesy of Trump, we are looking at the end of the transatlantic alliance.*

*Europe responded with strength and inventiveness to the last two great challenges. It can do so again.*

Unfortunately, Europe doesn’t have leaders anymore. It has administrators.

Only hard times breed true leaders, and Europe does not remember what those are. Do you really think that people like Macron, Starmer, or Von Der Leyen will lead us to greatness?

>making Europe great again

Based on the current infamous American slogan

>great leaps forward

Chinese slogan

>EU can do so again

Tangentially similar to the USSR/Russian [slogan](https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/01/15/we-can-do-it-again)

Not making any statements on this, it’s just I found these little gems in the title entertaining.

This is true, he is making eu Great again by sacrificing America

Trump will soon start peddling MEGA hats and other gear.

Have you said thank you yet?

Why don’t you kick the USA out of NATO already.

And all the military bases.

I wouldn’t use the term “great leap(s) foward” due to it’s historical connotations ;-), but in the long run the current developments will be beneficial for Europe. Besides the economic boost of Europe’s internal market by cutting consume of US products and going for our own products, the souvereign defensive stragegy is the most promising thing. Up until now, the US had the “last say” in everything, and that was usually a “don’t be too hard on Russia”, even before Trump and his Kremlin-licking stooges. Unfortunately exactly this “not too tough on Russia” stance caused the war in Europe. The Kremlin only understands hard facts, that is not buying their bullshit and countering each threat with a strong reaction. I’m hopeful, that Europe can become a lot tougher now (yes, I know, Orbán and others will still try to lick Kremlin every which way, but in a different climate – going hard also on the internal pro-Kremlin elements in Europe, they might turn around or at least stfu).

Europe’s leaders need to send some blunt messages to Donald Trump in language he cannot fail to understand. Diplomatic nuances are evidently lost on him, so hard-hitting talk has become the only way forward. –> Read the full article here: [Four blunt messages Europe needs to send to Trump – Friends of Europe](https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/frankly-speaking-four-blunt-messages-europe-needs-to-send-to-trump/)

“Caused by great shocks”

The greatest leap was caused by someone importing formaldehyde to Netherlands, a guy refusing to pay his electricity bill, poor guy eligible for discounted butter, forfeiture of a grain export licence and Italian veterinary inspections on beef.