Summary
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a call to discuss the potential implications of Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency for Europe.
The leaders pledged to strengthen cooperation for a “more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe” in light of this possibility. Macron emphasized a commitment to European sovereignty while maintaining cooperation with the U.S. Additionally, German and French defense ministers plan to meet to coordinate on defense policies.
Trump’s ambiguous stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine and his critical view of NATO burden-sharing raise concerns in Europe about future U.S.-Europe relations.
Oh good, last time fascism rose in the west they were at each other’s throats
You guys better ramp up arms production and switch to a partial wartime stance. Because Russia isn’t going to stop with Ukraine.
They’ve got nukes though, and plenty of conventional fire power (compared to Ukraine when it was invaded).
They need to invest in a non US lead command structure as that’s all using US tech and personnel.
Yeah, they really need to do relying on my country (the US). We are officially fully compromised.
Invest in arms companies lol
Well that’s one good thing to come from the election. Best case scenario America just fucks itself over (and not the rest of the world) while giving all of the EU a common enemy to help further strengthen the bonds.
I don’t think you understand. The faction taking over won’t stop with the US. They want unfettered power. They’re well aware American military might exceeds the rest of the world combined by tenfold and will eventually use it to intimidate or destroy anyone in their way, after subjugating our own citizenry of course.
The bonds are deteriorating beyond repair. This won’t be enough. Trump win will embolden the rising far right in EU countries. There’s no good thing, I’m afraid. Sorry for my pessimism.
Europe needs to step up on Ukraine. NATO is out of the picture, the EU needs to stand in its place.
Europe needs to step up on Ukraine.
Realistically, I doubt the western european public opinions are ready to accept 20 year old kids coming home in a coffin. If we put boots on the ground, I expect the war to be more deadly than recent middle-east operations.
So while we could kick of Russia ass, I don’t think we’re ready to pay the political price, at least for Ukraine.
This is more about ramping up domestic arms production to fill the gap that is going to come from US production no longer going to Ukraine.
Western Europe, yep, there’s not much appetite for that. Southern, neither, Northern, I wouldn’t count them out, Baltics will look to the North, Central (without Germany)… basically the only reason Poland didn’t put boots on the ground yet is NATO.
The French might get involved for dignity’s sake, but on a backfoot – special forces, long-range operations. Also sending French MREs is always a good idea.
Ironically I think policy support would have been much easier had we put boots on the ground right away. There was initially enormous support for Ukraine, and sending out own soldiers would have given voters a continued vested interest in the war.
Not saying the outcome would have been better, and there is always the threat of nuclear war. However, it would totally changed the course and focus of elections, and my impression is that voters like it when politicians take risks, even if it doesn’t pan out (and even if it’s suicidally stupid).
and sending out own soldiers would have given voters a continued vested interest in the war.
As a veteran… You’re volunteering right?
Lol. Maybe we can drown our enemies in paperwork.
That’s not entirely correct. While the US is without a doubt the biggest part of (and contributor to) NATO, it consists of a few other nations as well. But you are absolutely right that Europe needs to get their shit together because it is very likely that the US will scale down their NATO involvement
Trump’s ambiguous stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine and his critical view of NATO burden-sharing raise concerns in Europe about future U.S.-Europe relations.
Absolutely nothing ambiguous about it. Everyone knows where he stands. Exactly where every lapdog stands, behind and slightly off to the side of their master…
Everyone knows where he stands.
I strongly suspect that isn’t true. I think anti-Trump people know where he stands, but I bet a lot of pro-Trump people are about to be in for a big surprise.
Ah, yes…the old “leopards are eating people’s faces, but how was I supposed to know that it’d be my face?” bit.
I heard yesterday about how a lot of Imams in Michigan posed for selfies with him.
Listened to an interview, shortly after Binden stepped out, with a young Muslim Dem guy who was trying to drum up support in the DNC. He, and the people working with him, were really concerned about the alienation of the Muslim voting block. From what he was saying, it seems the community would usually vote Dem because the GOP are really hostile towards Muslims. But most traditionalist Muslims are hard C conservative, and on the surface level have a lot in common with the “Evangelical” nutjobs that seems to be running the show. He found some success in gaining wider support, but not enough to get a stance change on Gaza or to try and keep the Muslim voters with the Dems.
All that said…it wasn’t, according to exit polls, the Muslim voters that really killed them on this run. The biggest shift, from what I understand, was with the Latino community. And you might think “Well shit, Trump shit talks Latinos all the time, he’ll there was that shit he was saying about Puerto Rico not too long ago!”
But with any large and generalised community, there’s a lot of “in group hatred”. There’s always going to be an “other.”
“So what if Trump hates Puerto Ricans, I’m Cuban, his hate of this group won’t affect me…”
And this is how leopards ate their faces.
It’s the human condition to focus on the bad bit that’s most recent and to assume that you’ll be doing great in the future…
I mean, Trump is working for Putin… So yeah, NATO may be fucked. The US may at least pull out completely.
I’m not sure if he can do that, but considering everything that’s happened, he probably will.
Yeah no one saw a need for this EIGHT YEARS AGO?!
Some did. Then most were happy to go back to sleep as Biden won in 2020. Trump was ignorantly considered a hiccup instead of the expression of a deeper issue with the US.
As the election today showed so did the US Democrats think things could just continue in the same way. And here we are again.
eight years ago war looked very different
Not needing help from America would be great if our own governments weren’t filled with fascists.
Close Cooperation with eachother. The USA can no longer be seen as a reliable partner with its wild ideological swings and a lack of strong commitment to the cause.
Make or break for a strong European State.
From a UK perspective we’re absolutely fucked due to Brexit. USA is unreliable, detached from the EU, what’s left? BRICS? Lol.
Shit.
Ah the UK and EU are inexorably intertwined. Don’t stress too much. We’re still best buds.
BRICS? Lol.
It’d be BRICSUK then. Kinda close to Brexit. Just paint it as the next step after Brexit.
SUKBRICK sounds like a demeaning act that we brought on ourselves so lets go with that.
I love this. I will be using it as a punchline with my nerdy friends.
Everyone that voted for Cheeto Christ has willingly put their teeth to the curb, so SUKBRICK isn’t far off.
It’s the same boiler-plate statement they release after every US election.
American here.
Please embargo us. Make it clear that you will not work with a fascist state.
I want our economy to be in fucking ruins come 2026, when 20 Republican senators are up for reelection. If we take the house and a 2/3rds majority in the Senate and we can end this shit in January 2027.
But we need the anger and pain the Republicans have tapped into to fuel the fire to wipe the GOP from existence. And we need the Dems to stop playing fair. We need to go scorched-earth on these motherfuckers.
There is no way in which the US will be embargod. Even under trump european nations will try to keep a mostly beneficial relation with the US due to the economic reliability and US strength in global politics. Sorry bud!
No country would be insane enough to embargo the single greatest economic power on Earth.
How can buisness be done with a power so volatile?
There will people who will become billionaires from that volatility.
And they’ll get away with it because no more SEC!
Capitalism.
The maga idiots don’t really pose a theat to buisnesses, just regular people.
Simple. Multinational corporate interests have significant influence in the government. The elected officials may change, but people like Charles Koch are still whispering in their ears.
Fuck embargos, invade and liberate us. Return the favor we did for Germany 80 years ago.
in fucking ruins
It will somehow just be “the democrats fault” or those pesky brown invaders. And will fire up the base to vote in another shitclown.
Down economies are the number one predictor of whether a political party will be voted out.
Honestly you sound like you are part of the problem with America if you would rather see your country ruined in some self-fulfilling prophecy just so that your political opponents will lose next election.
Think of it like chemotherapy, when you have to invest poison in order to get better.
I’ll gladly lose money and comfort for a few years to protect the people I love from what Trump and his minions will to do.
Every day they’re in power is a threat.
If Europe wants to keep the front line east of Ukraine, they better get on that right now. That front line will not stop at the western border.
Sanctiones. You need to issue sanctions against the US. Please.
I sincerely hope the European powers will overcome their internal politics and the rightward slide many of them seem to be on, and cooperate more closely for the world’s sake. I want to be hopeful for the climate and humanity.
Hopefully Canada will stick with Europe rather than the US ideologically, but with how things are going here we seem farther along on our rightward slide.
We are just as prone to right-wing propaganda here in Canada as Americans are too. I’m sure it’s much worse here in Alberta than elsewhere, but it is painfully obvious to me just how aggressive the social media propaganda machine is influencing the minds of everyone here. Yet, if I mention it, I am the crazy one who is being brainwashed… Of course.
They would.
