Europe in a Power Struggle with the United States

The illusion of a transatlantic alliance is crumbling day by day. As threats to European countries multiply, Donald Trump is simply repeating what the United States has always done: dividing Europe without breaking the alliance, in order to maintain its hold. But this time, European countries seem to be acknowledging their dependence.

The majority of Europeans now believe that the United States can no longer be considered a reliable ally. However, this situation is nothing new: since World War II (and even before that under President Wilson), the United States has managed to impose a vassalage on the Old Continent. During the negotiations for the creation of the IMF and the World Bank, which brought the two sides together during the war, the United States was already threatening European countries by reducing their arms deliveries. The American victory at Bretton Woods in 1944 then confirmed this dependence, especially as it resulted a few years later in the signing of the Marshall Plan, under which the United States became the creditor of European countries. Their domination had become obvious.

This dependency then materialized at all levels, particularly from a financial perspective, through the ECB's subservience to US monetary policy and the increasing dollarization of European countries. This issue deserves particular attention, as the euro's longevity remains closely linked to the strength of the dollar. This power has continued to grow over the decades: the dominant use of the dollar in the 1950s between member states, the creation of an offshore market in US currency in the 1970s, the development and integration of US technology and financial companies in Europe from the 1990s and 2000s onwards, the integration of the dollar in European banks, payments mainly in US currency for European imports, the creation of swap lines and dollar loans, and the intervention of US institutions in European countries following the 2008 crisis, the sovereign debt crisis, the health crisis, and the bankruptcy of Credit Suisse in 2024 ; and finally, increased purchases of US bonds by European countries, particularly Germany. There are many factors contributing to this dependency, making the euro today a substitute for the US currency.

But the war waged by the United States against Europe is above all ideological. American imperial power is inherently based on hegemonic thinking. In order to maintain their global dominance and the exorbitant privilege of their currency, the United States needs to export its goods and services, as well as its way of thinking, to the four corners of the globe. For decades, Europe, presented as an ally, has therefore built itself up in the wake of the American model and globalization, whether through European integration, free trade agreements, the creation of the euro, the extension of its borders to the East, to the point of rejecting any law or vote to the contrary, such as the 2005 referendum. But certain characteristics are holding back this development, in particular the implementation of rules and standards that appear to be limitations. Any ally that does not respect this ideology is considered an explicit or implicit enemy, hence Donald Trump's recent positions towards the Old Continent.

Europe must now understand that the 1945 international order on which it was built is a thing of the past, just as the American empire is fading away. It is no coincidence that countries that have long benefited from European integration, such as Germany and the Nordic countries, are now experiencing great difficulties, while other nations that were historically losers, such  Spain and Italy, are in a good position. In geopolitics, too, the last can end up being the first. Times have changed and the time for action is now.

European countries, the product of a thousand years of history, are part of a powerful continent, the most sought-after in the world, with a rich economic heritage and a population of over 450 million. But for how long? If nothing is done quickly, the gap between Europe and the United States will continue to grow until it becomes an abyss. Between 2008 and today, GDP has grown by nearly 90% in the United States, compared to only about 15% in the European Union. During the same period, per capita GDP in Europe fell from about 80% of the US level to 50%. Finally, reindustrialization and growth can only remain wishful thinking when the price of electricity and gas in Europe remains two to three times higher than in the United States and when R&D spending represents less than 2% of GDP across the continent, nearly half that of the United States. But there is an explanation for this gap: it is primarily the result of the influence exerted by the United States on European soil. Europe has sealed its fate to a foreign power that treats its so-called ally like an enemy.

Diplomacy has always been a game of power relations. However, European responses have so far been either timid or non-existent. Some voices are now calling for the lifting of customs duties or the activation of the “anti-coercion” instrument, but it would take six months and two qualified majority votes to activate this response, whereas it takes Donald Trump only 24 hours to attack Europe by decree... This is hardly surprising for a continent that, lacking real political power, is quicker to regulate than to innovate. As for other solutions, most remain ineffective or unsuitable, such as the plan to mobilize European savings or the mutualization of European countries' debts. These last-resort tools only amplify the consequences without addressing the causes.

Europe today faces a choice between two destinies: to embody a single nation-state or to be an alliance bringing together countries of different cultures. A federal Europe or a Europe of nations. In either case, if it wants to find its freedom, it will not only have to break free from its Europe today faces a choice between two destinies: to embody a single nation-state or to be an alliance bringing together countries of different cultures. A federal Europe or a Europe of nations. In either case, if it wants to find its freedom, it will not only have to break free from its historical dependence on Washington, but also overcome the contradictions inherent in its construction. Europe, in a state of survival, must now face the test of major decisions.