In the first year of his second term, President Trump has managed to throw the world into turmoil. From the Middle East to South America and from Ukraine to Greenland.
It is no coincidence that the Presidents of France and Germany warned almost simultaneously that America is moving away from its allies (January 7).
But are allies still a thing? The President of the United States makes no bones about it, flatly stating that the only limit he acknowledges is “my own morality, my own mind”, while adding “I have no use for international law” (January 1, 2026).
So no alliances, and no rules, either.
Understandably, NATO has been placed under unbearable strain by Trump laying claim without provocation to a NATO territory like Greenland. And the whole of Europe (along with the rest of the world…) is wondering just how far Trump’s “morality” or “mind” is going to steer the US from Western norms.
In all honesty, no one can predict where the specific mix of egomania and amorality that is currently masquerading as American politics could lead.
I think that if someone had warned twelve months ago about a possible clash between the US and Europe over… Greenland, they would have been laughed out of the room. But, sadly, that’s precisely where we’re heading, propelled by an out-of-control and largely incomprehensible train of events.
And while Trump could invoke Maduro’s dictatorship as a reason for abducting the dictator, it’s going to be hard to find a similar pretext when the target is the peaceful and mild-mannered Kingdom of Denmark.
But at least he warned us: the only limits he acknowledges are those imposed by his morality and his mind. But I’m not sure that the warning is enough for the rest of the planet; it certainly isn’t enough for Europe.
Of course, relations between Europe and America have experienced numerous ups and downs down the decades, and some major or minor conflicts. But they always found a point of equilibrium, given that neither side was seeking a break.
It is not certain that this is still the case.
There is a breaking point beyond which the vast majority of Europeans will no longer tolerate their transatlantic ally’s egotistical behavior. We would certainly have reached that point already, if Europe had prioritized the restitution of its strategic and defensive autonomy earlier.
It didn’t. And now we’re paying the price.
But then (as the Economist wrote on January 3), it will be America’s turn to reflect on how it can call itself a leading power if it doesn’t actually have any followers.
