POLICY COMPASS LONG FORM

Transatlantic Drift:

Analysis of the United States of America’s Disengagement from Europe in the Second Trump Administration

by Scott Mackie

28 February 2025

In this paper we discuss:

  • How the Trump administration is accelerating its pivot away from Europe;
  • Pete Hegseth's declaration on the European position vis a vis the war in Ukraine
  • The EU's and NATO's response to Hegseth's remarks;
  • How the US’s pivot to the Indo-Pacific risks creating a two-tier NATO;
  • Why the US engaging unilaterally with Russia—excluding European allies—undermines NATO unity; and
  • Europe's crucial choice: increasing defence spending and assume a leadership role in security, or risk NATO fragmentation.

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