A few days ago, in a speech in Rimini, former Italian prime minister and former ECB chief Mario Draghi found that the illusion of great and strong Europe was permanently dissolved in 2025. He referred to both the trade agreement with the US, as well as the image of the US. Almost simultaneously in an article, the President of the Commission admitted that the US agreement may not be perfect, but it was the best feasible.

Ursula von der Laien in essence confirmed Draghi. When you feel powerless you can’t claim anything more. “The deal is a time bomb,” the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung commented without pity. On the one hand, Trump may at any time change his mind on the amount of duties, on the other hand, the EU has undertaken huge obligations, which is unlikely to be able to implement. Who, for example, will invest these 600 billion in the US and how will energy products of $ 750 billion be purchased by the end of Trump’s term? Europe entered a path full of obstacles and traps.

The end of the West

Beyond specific numbers and incidents what is worth studying is the general picture. The second term Trump permanently seals what Berlin’s Taz columnist called “the end of the West” in the form we have understood it to this day. A process that did not start with the current American president is just now accelerating at a dizzying pace. According to the analysis, the US has regressed over time between national isolation and desire to confirm their planetary omnipotence. For example, in 1916, Woodrow Wilson won the election with the reminder that he “kept us out of war”. In 1917 he changed his mind and sent two million troops to Europe, “signing” Germany’s defeat in World War I and the start of a “American century”. Later the Senate rejected the idea of ​​the society of nations. Today Trump is doing everything he can to undermine the UN prestige.

Anxious allies

There have always been a “back and forth” in the transatlantic relationship. The big difference is today that US and Europe’s interests are constantly diverging. Trump’s “indifference” to Europe cannot be hidden behind some compliments, nor of the fact that about 80,000 US troops still remain in Europe, which after the latest developments realizes that it is “alone at home”. It is an evolution that justifies the stress of Europeans, but not their paralysis. Trump’s moves also show anxiety, though. From one world leader “Angel of Peace” with ambitions for Nobel and on the other border guard, preacher of a new Surrealist patriotism.

The cause of anxiety is visible. World balances have changed. At the beginning of the 21st century EU and US together, 40% of global goods and services, China, only 3%. Today China is at 20%, the US and the EU at 14% each. This explains why Washington’s gaze is primarily focused on Beijing. And it obliges Europeans to confront loneliness from the escape of “Uncle Sam”, renovating the house concentrated and coordinated. If they may sometimes be grateful for Trump for his cynical sincerity.