Attacking Allies: The American Offensive Against the European Union Under the Trump Administration

Abstract

Americans and Europeans were allies for decades. This traditional alliance which was conceived on the eve of the Cold War, is being threatened by the Trump administration’s ‘trade war’. By withdrawing from numerous international agreements and imposing new bilateral agreements, the Trump administration has not only increased tensions among its rivals, but also among its partners. One could ask whether it is in the best interest of the U.S. to act more aggressively towards the EU, when it should seek a strong partnership to face China. I argue in this thesis that the current relationship cannot be fully explained by Trump’s vision but rather, reflects a shift from geo-politics to geo-economics. ‘Attacking allies’ reveals the inability for the U.S. to protect an international order they created, and collaterally impulse their disengagement from a multilateral world where the U.S. interest, which tends to be more economic, are not anymore advantaged. Hence, the hegemonic struggle with the economic threat of China and the political economic framework has shaped its relationship with the EU