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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Nations Prepare for a Post-European World

Trump recognizes that the Continent has abdicated its role in history.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
European Union flags outside the European Central Bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on December 12, 2024. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
European Union flags outside the European Central Bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on December 12, 2024. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

As Donald Trump prepares his triumphant return to the White House, American allies in Europe are waking up to a disagreeable reality. In Mr. Trump’s second term, the U.S. is going to be more powerful relative to its core allies than at any time in decades—and Mr. Trump’s second term is going to be even more disruptive and confrontational than his first.

Sadly, with the exception of the U.S., much of the West is sunk in decline. A generation of poor performance in the European Union and Japan means that America’s traditional partners bring less and less to the table each year. Japan seems to be undergoing an awakening. But many of our most important European allies are contending with three decades of economic, political and strategic failure.

Read the full article in The Wall Street Journal.

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