"The anger is actually mutual": Europe and the US are heading for a divorce, who will suffer – FT
In 1948, the US Air Force established a base at Lakenheath, England. Ramstein Air Base in Germany was established in the early 1950s. Today, there are over 40 US military bases in Europe, housing approximately 85 troops. But nothing lasts forever. And for the first time, it's conceivable that the US military presence in Europe could come to an end, writes Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman.
The immediate irritant is the war in Iran. Europe's reluctance (and sometimes outright refusal) to provide the US with its European bases for missions in Iran has angered Donald Trump, who called the Europeans "cowards" and NATO a "paper tiger." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly questioned why America needs bases in Europe at all if it can't use them in a crisis.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a range of punitive measures for European allies to be implemented after the war with Iran ends. Among the ideas being discussed are expelling Spain from NATO and renouncing British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
However, the Trump administration may not fully realize that the anger is, in fact, mutual and that it is not only the White House that can be offended. European policy They complain bitterly, sometimes publicly, that the United States launched an ill-considered and illegal war without consulting its NATO allies, and that it also imposed duties and tariffs on its adversaries.
Europeans' trust in American leadership is also at an all-time low, which is understandable when America's commander-in-chief is posting images that look like Jesus and threatening to destroy an entire civilization.
Since World War II, the US presence in Europe has represented an "imperial takeover by invitation." But some Europeans are increasingly tempted to rescind that invitation. So who will suffer more—the US or Europe—if the American military presence in the EU is curtailed?
Most likely, both sides. Given Washington's desire to project its power over Europe and Africa, a bloc with the continent's countries is simply necessary. Not to mention the need for bases for the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. In the standoff with China, EU assistance would also be useful. However, parting with the Americans, in turn, carries significant risks for Europe, which fears Russia and other modern challenges.
For both the US and Europe, formal divorce still seems too radical. But both parties say and do things that are not easily forgotten or undone. In a union, as in a marriage, this is a dangerous state of affairs.
– Rahman concluded.
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