lDonald Trump’s re-election is likely to shake up three principles that are at the very foundation of Europe’s way of life and prosperity: an economy based largely on transatlantic trade, security that depends primarily on NATO, and political systems based in liberal democracy and the belief in the possibility of harmony between peoples.
This observation is not new. For years, various studies, columns and reports have alerted European public opinion about this triple risk.
First, an economic and technological withdrawal from the European Union [UE] towards China and the United States: recently, the Draghi report recalled that Europe never recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, that it missed the digital boat and that it no longer attracts investors.
Isolationism
There is, then, a shadow over the security of Europe, in the face of Russia’s actions and the withdrawal of the United States; The election campaign demonstrated that isolationism is on the rise among American citizens, who only seem concerned about their country’s relations with China.
The third risk is that of a global crisis that calls into question the values of liberal democracy that underpin the political systems of the States of the Union and their institutions; The violent tirades that are now part of the daily life of American political life show that they are in bad shape and that powerful forces are promoting a much more brutal conception of public space.
Europe is against the wall and must prepare for alarming developments. That of an openly protectionist policy of the United States and a more or less virulent denial of the principles that underpin international trade since the Second World War. That of US disinvestment, more or less rapid and pronounced, from global security mechanisms. That of, finally, that of a questioning of the virtues of liberal democracy.
In this critical context, European integration lacks a project, budget and leadership. On the part of the Member States, no political leader seems capable or willing to move things forward at European level; With the election of Donald Trump, national chaos is to be feared.
Radical ideas are on the rise
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