US Declares Europe Its Adversary

a { color: #880000 !important; background: #ffeeee !important; } Latest News from NourishThe Nourish Mission (formerly OneSub)Get answers to today's big questionsUS Declares Europe Its Adversaryforeign affairs > international relationsIn late 2025, the US under President Trump formally designated Europe as an adversary in its National Security Strategy, citing immigration policies and demographic changes as threats to Western civilization. The US supports far-right European parties, opposes EU digital regulations, and signals a shift from traditional transatlantic alliances toward a militarized, transactional global order. Germany and Europe are urged to assume greater self-defense amid waning US commitment.

What's happened

In late 2025, the US under President Trump formally designated Europe as an adversary in its National Security Strategy, citing immigration policies and demographic changes as threats to Western civilization. The US supports far-right European parties, opposes EU digital regulations, and signals a shift from traditional transatlantic alliances toward a militarized, transactional global order. Germany and Europe are urged to assume greater self-defense amid waning US commitment.

What's behind the headline?

The US-EU Rift Deepens

The Trump administration's 2025 National Security Strategy marks a historic rupture in transatlantic relations by explicitly naming Europe as an adversary. This is unprecedented given the 80-year security partnership post-WWII. The strategy's embrace of far-right European parties as 'patriotic' allies signals a deliberate effort to reshape European politics in a way that undermines centrist and pro-EU forces.

Immigration and Demographic Anxiety as Policy Drivers

The US framing of Europe's immigration policies as 'civilizational erasure' reflects the influence of the Great Replacement Theory, a far-right conspiracy. This ideological stance drives US support for nationalist parties and opposition to EU digital regulations, which are seen as obstacles to US tech dominance.

Consequences for European Security and Economy

Germany's Chancellor Merz's call for Europe to 'defend and assert our interests much more strongly by ourselves' underscores the erosion of US security guarantees. Europe's economic challenges, including dependence on China and trade tensions with the US, compound the strategic uncertainty.

A Militarized, Transactional Global Order

The US vision rejects multilateralism and globalism, favoring a garrisoned world of competing spheres of influence. This militarization trend is evident in record global defense spending and the weaponization of economic dependencies.

Forecast

This realignment will likely accelerate European strategic autonomy efforts but also deepen geopolitical fragmentation. The US-EU partnership, once a cornerstone of global stability, is now fraught with distrust and competing agendas. European democracies face internal pressures from rising far-right movements empowered by US backing, threatening continental cohesion.

Impact on Readers

For citizens in Europe and the US, this shift means living in a more uncertain security environment with potential economic repercussions. The politicization of immigration and the rise of nationalist parties will shape domestic politics and social cohesion. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for anticipating policy changes and their effects on daily life.

What the papers say

The New York Times' Christopher F. Schuetze highlights Chancellor Merz's blunt acknowledgment that the US no longer prioritizes European defense, stating, "Our partnership with the United States... is changing," and emphasizing the need for Europe to "defend and assert our interests much more strongly by ourselves." Reuters' Madeline Chambers adds that Germany has increased defense spending and is trying to reduce economic dependence on China amid global trade tensions. The Guardian's Owen Jones and Polly Toynbee provide critical perspectives on the US strategy, exposing its ideological underpinnings in far-right conspiracy theories like the Great Replacement and its support for nationalist parties as a means to weaken European unity. Toynbee notes the US strategy's description of Europe as "weak" and "decaying," and its endorsement of "patriotic European parties" as "cause for great optimism." The Japan Times offers a broader geopolitical analysis, describing the emerging "multisphere world" where US and China pursue competing, often opaque ambitions, with the US under Trump pivoting to a transactional, militarized approach that abandons liberal internationalism. Sky News' Michael Clarke frames the Trump administration's policies as accelerating a "new global dis-order," legitimizing conquest and retreating into isolationism, which emboldens authoritarian actors worldwide. Together, these sources reveal a complex, multifaceted shift in global order, with the US redefining its role and Europe grappling with the consequences.

How we got here

Since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, US foreign policy has shifted sharply. The 2025 National Security Strategy abandons post-WWII transatlantic cooperation, emphasizing 'America First' nationalism, skepticism of globalism, and a transactional approach to alliances. This has coincided with rising far-right influence in Europe and increased tensions over immigration, trade, and security, prompting European leaders like Germany's Chancellor Merz to call for greater self-reliance.

Go deeper

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