American conservatives offer Europe a contradictory bargain: change to match our vision or lose our alliance
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/by/ross-douthat. "Opinion | What the American Right Wants From Europe - The New York Times." February 17, 2026. www.nytimes.com
The Gist
American conservatives want Europe to become stronger and more nationalist, but this demand is hypocritical because America spent decades telling Europe to be weaker. Plus, conservatives can't decide if they actually want a strong Europe or just one that stays out of America's way.
Conclusion
The American right's demand for European transformation is undermined by historical contradictions and unclear goals, making it a problematic basis for the trans-Atlantic relationship
Premises
- American conservatives are offering Europe a bargain: become more nationalist, religious, and militarily strong in exchange for continued U.S. alliance commitment
- This demand contradicts decades of American policy that actively encouraged European weakness and retreat from global power
- American conservatives cannot decide whether they want a strong, ambitious Europe or a diminished, inward-looking one that stays out of America's way
- Past American leaders from Roosevelt to Bush consistently pressured Europe to abandon imperial power and global influence
- The current conservative vision essentially admits that previous American elite advice was wrong and European leaders like Churchill and de Gaulle were right
- Europeans have legitimate reasons to distrust American demands given this history of contradictory expectations
Assumptions
- Historical patterns of American foreign policy toward Europe are relevant to current relationships
- European elites care about consistency in American demands over time
- The American right's internal contradictions about Europe are significant enough to undermine their credibility
- Europe has viable alternatives to the American alliance if U.S. demands become too problematic