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The end of the transatlantic alliance: Europe has lost its way
Unherd ^ | 2/17/25 | Wolfgang Munchau

Posted on 02/17/2025 7:56:21 PM PST by EnderWiggin1970

There is no longer any doubt that Europe and America are parting ways. The death of the transatlantic relationship was foretold many times, but at the Munich Security Conference this weekend, it finally ended.

The great American-European divorce has played out in three areas — Ukraine, free speech, and trade. Last week, Donald Trump blindsided the Europeans with his announcement of peace talks with Vladimir Putin. (He said he would do this during his election campaign, but Europe’s leaders were clearly not paying attention.) Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, told the Europeans on Saturday that they will not be included in high-level peace negotiations.

Europe’s leaders are aghast. Some of them, including Keir Starmer, were still peddling the idea of future Nato membership for Ukraine when Trump announced that Ukraine will not become a Nato member. Trump said that, from a Russian perspective, it was the prospect of Ukraine’s Nato membership that triggered the war — a version of events the Europeans profoundly disagree with. He has also concluded that Ukraine cannot possibly win the war (a point on which I agree).

The outlines of a peace deal are emerging: no Nato membership for Ukraine; a frontier that respects the current military situation; a demilitarised zone around the new frontier; and, I presume, a return of Russia’s frozen assets, and a gradual lifting of the sanctions. Trump even wants Russia back in the G7.

(Excerpt) Read more at unherd.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; European Union; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia; Ukraine; War
KEYWORDS: alliance; bloggers; britards; britishhysteria; eu; europe; eussr; fakenews; fourthreich; g7; haslostitsfunding; nato; tds; trump; unherd; wolfgangmunchau; yurp; yurpeons
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It is becoming clearer by the day that Trump had no interest in carrying water for the Deep State. The globalist cabal that took over Ukraine is the same crowd that put a bullet (however indirectly) through Trump's ear, so it was naive to imagine he'd keep forking over money and support to maintain their hegemony abroad. Now they have lost control in Washington and hopefully will lose control of Europe. Good riddance.

We may be able to renew an alliance with Europe, but only after genuine and relatively uncorrupted representative government is restored there. Until then they deserve to be treated as ideological adversaries and repressive states apart from exceptions like Hungary under Orban.

1 posted on 02/17/2025 7:56:21 PM PST by EnderWiggin1970
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To: EnderWiggin1970

When I was younger, Europe would say to us:
1. We’re better than you, we have Free Healthcare
2. We’re better than you, we have Free College
3. We’re better than you, we have very long vacations
4. We’re better than you, we have much earlier retirement

Now the say, in addition to the above:
1. We’re better than you, we’re not Racist and we prove it by having 20 Million angry Muslims who rape our young women.
2. We’re better than you, we’re not destroying the environment, and we prove it by allowing 17,000 elderly Brits to freeze due to not being able to afford heating.
3. We’re better than you, we tolerate gays, and we prove it by allowing them to Groom our kids.

I suspect Trump had enough of their crap.

But, on the positive side, once we’re out, Europe will figure out that they need to put on their Big Boy Pants and SERIOUSLY deal with at least the last 3 issues (above).


2 posted on 02/17/2025 8:10:18 PM PST by BobL
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Europe has lost its way as its directions were American.


3 posted on 02/17/2025 8:11:57 PM PST by blackdog ((Z28.310) Be careful what you say. Your refrigerator may be listening & reporting you.)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Nah!

Europe will always be there for us when she needs us.


4 posted on 02/17/2025 8:13:48 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: blackdog

No; those “directions” originated in Europe itself and were trying to take over the USA; they did not succeed because of Trump.


5 posted on 02/17/2025 8:13:48 PM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

the ukraine war cheerleaders have killed 100’s of thousands of white Christians.


6 posted on 02/17/2025 8:21:27 PM PST by imabadboy99
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To: BobL

they had all of those freebies because we were covering their military expenses.


7 posted on 02/17/2025 8:21:33 PM PST by bankwalker (Repeal the 19th ...)
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To: EnderWiggin1970
These poltroons have been at this shit for centuries. Same as the Middle East. Same as Southeast Asia.

We left for a reason.

8 posted on 02/17/2025 8:22:18 PM PST by onona
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To: onona

Anybody who says we need them is a grifter


9 posted on 02/17/2025 8:23:06 PM PST by onona
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To: EnderWiggin1970

So the western war against Russia has backfired. The corrupted, authoritarian EU fractures, and the corrupted nation of Ukraine is largely destroyed.

Time for President Trump to pull the plug and leave them to their own miserable fate. A very, very good lesson to be learned by the western war cheerleaders. The best to hope for is an uprising by EU citizens to take back their countries and for Ukrainians to topple their severely corrupted government.

A very fitting end.


10 posted on 02/17/2025 8:23:07 PM PST by delta7
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To: EnderWiggin1970

It is true that the “transatlantic alliance” is a relic of the immediate post-WWII challenge. Following VE-Day, the US was intent on redeployment of thousands of troops to the Pacific and demobilizing thousands of others to home who had enough “points.” We had no intention of staying in Europe. We had had no previous “alliance” with Europe until the war began.

But Europe was pretty much on its back, and facing a hundred divisions of the Red Army, many already in Germany and many more facing hungrily westward. It was in this context, and at the urgent plea of Europe, that we established NATO, and the Cold War began.

So the Soviet threat is now long gone, Russia is a pale imitation that presents no threat to the west. In all the years of NATO since 1948, it is obvious to all that the US did all the heavy lifting. We no longer have any reason to do so.

The political establishment and its clumsy foreign policy tools at the State Department have been unable to see any potential for change, nor any reason. Trump has had the vision to ask, Why are we still there, a good 30 years after our purpose there has been fulfilled? They have fed off of us long enough, time to close up shop.

And I believe he is right. Why not let them fend for themselves? They can do it, all it takes is the will. And we can’t help them there anyway.


11 posted on 02/17/2025 8:27:00 PM PST by hinckley buzzard ( Resist the narrative.)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

It’s more complicated than this. Biden was sending enormous sums of money to Ukraine to skim off the top. Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize for ending the war, and why shouldn’t he? Obama got one for getting elected not accomplishing anything, but I digress...Europe has been talking about forming a European army outside of NATO for years. Now they have their chance, but they need to open their wallets first. Russia is on the ropes, and Europeans know Russia’s history in long wars without the West bailing them out with materiel and food supplies.


12 posted on 02/17/2025 8:31:15 PM PST by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
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To: EnderWiggin1970

In the 20th century, Europe was still the economic and cultural driver of the world. The Cold War centered on dominance of Europe by US and USSR.
Now European GDP comprises a much lower percentage of the world economy and population.
It makes sense with the relative rise of other economies most notably China, India and the Asian tiger nations that US economic and military priorities have shifted.


13 posted on 02/17/2025 8:32:25 PM PST by grumpygresh ( Civil disobedience by non-compliance; jury and state nullification.)
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To: dadgum

Europe is lost.

In time, they will beg the USA to save them from their own stupidity.

The answer from us will be “NO!!!!”

Eurotrash filth…..


14 posted on 02/17/2025 8:59:23 PM PST by dadgum (Trump 2024. Fight to Win or Do Not Fight at All)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Just as President Trump inspired and pushed through the Middle East Abraham Accords, perhaps President 47 will develop Accords with individual countries in Europe. As individual European countries shake off the progressive insanity, and embrace freedom and free markets, President Trump will arrange individual treaties with these countries.

Perhaps the unofficial title of these Accords could be:

The Non Euro Weenie Accords.


15 posted on 02/17/2025 9:08:08 PM PST by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Europe has drank the poison of unlimited Muslim immigration and in 2 decades will be assimilated. They could save themselves except for their cuck mindset that gets off seeing their wives and daughters raped by the invaders. A society of neutered men cannot survive.


16 posted on 02/17/2025 9:09:45 PM PST by Brooklyn Attitude (Election day 2024, Happy Days Are Here Again!)
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To: hinckley buzzard

I second that.


17 posted on 02/17/2025 9:12:28 PM PST by TheDon (Remember the J6 political prisoners! Remember Ashli Babbitt!)
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To: hinckley buzzard
They can do it

If Germany is not capable of mustering a fearsome military, the world no longer makes sense.

18 posted on 02/17/2025 9:13:17 PM PST by Jeff Chandler
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To: Dr. Franklin
Russia is on the ropes,

Russian war production is way up, their debt is a tiny fraction of ours and the EU, and their economy is growing much better than the EU as well. Russia is not invincible and faces challenges, but the MSM is completely delusional in continuing to push this trope that Russia is in serious trouble.

19 posted on 02/17/2025 9:19:13 PM PST by EnderWiggin1970
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To: Dr. Franklin
Biden was sending enormous sums of money to Ukraine to skim off the top.

Zelensky said that he only got $75 billion of the $175 billion.

20 posted on 02/17/2025 9:23:03 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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