Il punto di vista del Guardian sulla risposta dell’Europa all’imperialismo “America first”: troppo debole, troppo timido

Was anyone actually shocked by the lack of response?

Right when Brit MoD sign a huge AI military deal with… Palantir.

Nice timing.

Amazing how many people consider themselves Armchair Churchills who think they’re going to give Trump a bloody nose.

The harsh reality is that the current structure in the EU and NATO is completely dysfunctional at protecting European interests – hopelessly slow and undecisive, and even those watered down plans that we do manage to agree on can be derailed by any populist government at any given point.

The harsh reality is that Europe’s nation states have become simply too irrelevant and weak to each continue with their own independent foreign policies. Our continent has turned into a global laughing stock and textbook case of bygone tribalism holding the continent hostage for way too long. We are losing out economically in most fields to USA and China, and we are unable to even resist threats on our own continent.

European countries can (and almost certainly will) continue to pretend of course to still matter but at best they can opt for a specific vasallage (some don’t even get that as they will be a target for other powers). Unless major reforms are made, Europe as a whole will be divided and conquered, in some shape or form, and will be weaker than ever.

Yet, mainstream politicians only seem to desperately cling to *status quo* at all costs, afraid of the alt-right coming to power, and offering no solutions whatsoever, other than endless attempts of trying to kick the can further down the road. Unfortunately, a giant wall is already visible, a dead-end.

My view on the Guardian’s response to Chinese imperialism: too weak too timid

As an European I was doing my small part in avoiding US products.

Until the EU surrendered to the US, what’s the point of avoiding Doritos and McDonald’s if EU leaders sign multi billion dollars agreement to buy US military goods. 

I truly hope that behind the scenes the EU is working on becoming independent from the US as much as is possible. No need to scream it from the rooftops, that’s what the orange buffoon responds to. Take it slow and easy, because an overnight breakup will only cause more harm then good, both in the short as in the long term. I believe every european leader knows that the US is lost and we need to build to an European Federation to stay a strong trade block.

The Guardian is wrong on how to handle this. Stroke his ego.

Play the old school aristocratic diplomacy game.

The president wants his name on something, a legacy.

The monarchies of Europe (UK, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, etc.) should get together and grant him a title of some sort in a big ceremony in Versailles or similar.

Maybe ‘Lord Protector of Christendom’ or something.

And then start arranging meet ups with eligible aristocratic debutantes and Barron Trump for bethrothing.

I think the restraint the leaders globally are showing, is admirable and if they begin acting in the same manner, our Legal and Political systems will never recover from it. Europe, although united, is still 30+ individual nations and while i’ve always viewed the Guardian as a responsible and reliable source of news, i find their European takes tiresome. I’ve read the Guardian for 20+ years and in recent times, they overstate their importance in their analysis of the EU, as one, viewing from the outside in, sometimes can.

The UK is still reeling from the non committal response relating to the “Special Relationship” and i would like to see more analysis on what obstacles the UK has to climb over, if NATO ends.

I think many European politicians are hoping for the midterms and are trying to sit this one out or they are hoping that Trump will kick the bucket soon. They will be in for a rude awakening. There will be no comeback for democracy in America, and we better start acting accordingly.

Kinda true. Europe could only talk while US would action

The same guardian that is mealy-mouthed in critiques of Israel or the UK crackdown on free speech and Palestine action? That guardian?

I feel like the Centre-Left Media has the right idea, but draws the wrong consequences

International law was never in history dominating the internal decision-making of major powers. Its an ideal, not a political fact that the US just overcame by electing Trump.

This is not a question of *upholding* the rule of international law, but of *establishing* it. Europe (excluding Russia+Belarus) is the only large region that is in majority willing to subscribe to the ideal of paramount international law to the extent of giving up sovereignity. Doing so has not prevented Russia from attacking Ukraine, it has not prevented China from threatening nations in the SCS, it has not prevented Trump from attacking Venezuela, and it will not prevent China from attacking Taiwan, or Russia from attacking the EU.

Establishing a new governmental structure requires power and force, in multiple dimensions. However, the same centre-left media that demand the upholding of international law, also decry most projections of power that might make it happen.

Woild Europeans culturally dominate and thus are able to shape opinion, it would be called hegemonial, eurocentrist, neocolonial. Would Europeans use trade as a weapon to enforce compliance, it would be called the same. And the same for using military. Even when we just gear up, its criticized as warmongering.

We have, by now, spent decades urging the world to follow European beliefs without signalling neither the will to apply force to enforce international law, nor the will to reward nations playing along such that they are better off than others who don’t. Whenever we attempted that, successfully or not, we either had to be motivated to do so by the US (eg in the Balkans), or failed and had to be bailed out by US intervention (eg in Libya).

So, ultimately, we just *demand*. Why should others go along with our demands? And why should they believe that we know better, than everyone else in the world, with their own life experiences?

Making international law work means reshaping the world, reshaping the world means applying power, and we either have to acknowledge that, or we will have to continue to adapt to a world that will not magically europeanize itself.

Venezuela works as an example of this. EU nations rejected acknowledging Maduro. Did he care? Why should he? Even Repsol and Eni continued to be active in Venezuela, no criticism we ever said came with any consequence. EU nations now decry Trumps intervention against the same leader we don’t acknowledge. Did he care? Why should he? We will neither sanction the US, nor intervene to extract Maduro. Labour-voting British journalists believing they understand the world better than anyone else neither turned Maduro into a democrat, nor did it motivate Rubio to stop pushing the Trump admin to crush a hostile leadership.

Sometimes, I believe, the EU + non-US Anglosphere would actually do better by applying the post-Deng and pre-Xi Chinese geopolitical approach: Grow and bite your time. Sign trade deals, grow up your military, set up bases, set up exportable media so you can shape hearts and minds, and don’t preach before you are actually willing to struggle for your ideals. All this talk with no force behind it makes us look only weaker and diplomatically less relevant. Its propaganda in favor of our rivals made by ourselves. Its fine to be passive, but then it should also come with acceptance that the world will continue to develop, and different governments will seek their own paths to follow.

Edit: Btw, the Guardian let the Iranian foreign minister publish a hitpiece on Israel + USA on their page: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/30/iran-donald-trump-real-talks-both-win Which makes me wonder if the journalists at the Guardian truly want the global supremacy of international law, or not rather just use this argument to sow dissent within the west to weaken the western world. Why not let write Rubio an op-ed in the Guardidan praising the intervention in Venezuela, then? Iran is no more honoring international law, than the US. Iran supplied various armed irregular forces in multiple countries, even sent its own staff to train them, and fought in their favor. That’s the same behavior as the US applies. They are just far less successful.

What would be a sufficiently strong message though?

A quote attributed to Shaw: « Never wrestle with a pig. They will drag you into the mud and beat you with experience ».

It may be because there’s no other choice, but I think being more tactful instead of brash is a better approach… especially if things can be done to prepare Europe for the future, even expedite this process. Some parts don’t even need to be public.

There is that « might makes right » strain of thought – does it necessarily have to be confined to military operations? It may be the easiest option for some, but I doubt it’s the only one.

Keep our heads on our shoulders, and continue to reduce the dependency on the pig, which the EU is already doing. I’m not sure how exactly things could be made go faster – there’s also the risks associated with cutting corners if that is done.

Europe too weak, too timid on US imperialism. ‘America First’ means Europe last – time to wake up

lol, did europe stop being imperialist due to its moral awakening or its power project overshadowed by US and USSR?

britain, france, even minor nations like portugal tried to maintain its global presence after ww2 and they all failed miserably. now they want to fight against imperialism? this has to be april fools joke 

From the article:Along with the United Nations, Europe has a duty to push back against the subjugation of international law to the whim of rogue superpowers policing their “spheres of influence”

Reeks of weakness…europe should be one of those powers establishing its sphere of influence in the world

With the amount of European oligarchs, financial institutions, and industry, with vested interests on the USA succeeding, it will never going to happen.