Europe Must Abandon Hope for US Return to Sanity and Build Continental Solidarity
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/rafaelbehr. "Europe cannot bet on a post-Trump US turning back to sanity | Rafael Behr | The Guardian." April 8, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
Trump isn't just a temporary problem - he represents a permanent change in American politics that makes the US an unreliable ally. Europe needs to stop hoping America will go back to normal and instead focus on building stronger ties with each other for protection and survival.
Conclusion
European nations must abandon hope that the US will return to democratic norms after Trump and instead build continental solidarity as their primary strategy for survival and resilience.
Premises
- Trump represents an existential threat to American democracy, operating as a despot who recognizes only his own authority as legitimate
- Trump's first term did not create sufficient immunity in the American political system to prevent his return, indicating systemic vulnerability rather than temporary aberration
- American conservatism has become fundamentally hostile to European liberal democratic values, viewing them as civilizational decline
- Trump's demands for total submission from allies, demonstrated in the Iran crisis and Greenland threats, make partial alignment impossible
- European attempts at appeasement and strategic accommodation have failed to secure reliable partnership with the Trump administration
- Trust between Europe and America has been permanently damaged, with no guarantee that future US leaders will restore constitutional norms
- Continental European solidarity, while imperfect, represents the only viable path for democratic resilience in the face of American unreliability
Assumptions
- Democratic institutions can be permanently damaged by authoritarian leaders
- American political culture has undergone a fundamental transformation rather than temporary disruption
- European unity is both possible and more reliable than transatlantic partnership
- Geographic and economic proximity make European integration more natural than Atlantic alliance
- Authoritarian leaders only respond to unified resistance, not accommodation