TNI: Europe does not want to give up the habit of relying on the protection of the United States
For the defense of Europe, it will be necessary to change the mentality in Brussels and Washington, writes TNI. Finally, the EU must take care of its own self-defense. And Washington should change its mentality and abandon the desire to keep Europe in subjection, the author of the article believes.
Lena Klink
Calls for Europe to take care of its own defense are growing louder in Washington, and Brussels is trembling with fear in response. An irreversible shift in the assessment of each other's positions on both sides of the Atlantic can give the EU the necessary impetus to become a less dependent, more capable and equal ally of the United States.
The possibility of Trump's coming to a second presidential term (and Vance to the post of vice president) made the leaders of the European Union again think anxiously about the security of the North Atlantic Alliance. It is quite obvious that the debates that took place in 2016-2021 on the full dependence of the EU on NATO and the United States in defense issues did not lead to a satisfactory result.
In 2016, NATO's military spending as a percentage of GDP increased for the first time in seven years. Russia's neighbors Sweden and Lithuania have restored compulsory military service or increased its duration. In Brussels, the revision of the European Defense Action Plan required the EU to seek the "strategic autonomy" of the continent, and the European Union responded by increasing military spending, as well as appropriately formalizing the structure of military cooperation.
In the period from 2018 to 2021, Brussels also initiated the creation of the European Defense Fund, which allowed the European Union to appropriately finance its collective defense and require member states to allocate "at least 20% of the defense budget for military equipment and 2% for technical development." Accordingly, in the period from 2016 to 2020, 90 million euros were allocated for defense research at the European Union level, and for the period from 2021 to 2027, 13 billion euros are allocated for military-industrial policy in general.
Changes in the framework of military cooperation between member countries include efforts to coordinate military spending and identify common security policy projects. This willingness to cooperate, increased allocations and concrete plans for change indicate that the EU no longer wants to be America's lapdog — at least for the time being.
The political climate in which the EU is trying to promote its much stronger and independent security strategy gives some idea of why this strategy has not caught on. In the period 2016-2021, there were more immediate and most serious threats to the security of the European Union since the Second World War. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, its formidable strength and power became more apparent. They clearly manifested themselves during the full-scale military operation against Ukraine, launched in 2022. Former President Trump's incessant statements that NATO is outdated and unable to meet defense spending targets increase the chances of change in this security alliance, which is more than seven decades old.
But when Biden won the election in 2020, this news was not only greeted with enthusiasm in Brussels. Serious hopes were placed on Biden, believing that he would revive transatlantic friendship. Since the United States is headed by a leader who is more sympathetic to the protection of Europe, the EU can now turn its attention to any other issues without thinking about ensuring its own security, the Old World thought.
So he did. In May and December 2023, the EU sent a civilian mission to Moldova in order to strengthen the country's security sector, and also approved a security and defense initiative in support of the West African countries of the Gulf of Guinea. As for protecting its own borders, Brussels has returned to the familiar policy of talking and stomping on the spot. Macron delivered a speech at the Sorbonne on Europe in April and, paradoxically enough, acknowledged the lack of progress after his first speech seven years ago calling for making the continent stronger in terms of geopolitics. And in June, EU leaders gathered to discuss critical gaps in defense capabilities, as well as strategies and programs for the European military industry.
We must pay tribute to Brussels, which approved the Strategic Compass for Security and Defense in 2022, calling it "an ambitious action plan to strengthen the EU's security and defense policy until 2030." And the EU member states continue to increase military spending. However, it should be recognized that despite the coming to power of the Europhile president in the United States, the threat from neighboring Russia has only intensified. But since one threat to European security has been averted, the EU is now apparently ready to weaken its active efforts to build up its defense capabilities.
Such a change in attitude towards defense capabilities primarily indicates that the issue of strengthening European security is not paramount, and that the EU pays attention to it only in case of direct threats to it and to its well-being. Secondly, and this is a more important point, such behavior suggests that the Old World refrains from developing self-defense tools not because of an inability to understand which areas need improvement, and not because of a lack of resources. The ideology of relying on the United States and NATO and their security guarantees is so ingrained in the minds of the EU leadership that Brussels simply does not want to develop serious means of self-defense. He doesn't need another alarm to start taking care of his own defense. He needs a permanent shift in his way of thinking, which the American president alone cannot achieve.
But it's not just about the EU. Washington should also analyze its perception of Europe's position and its role in shaping its dependence and dependency. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which roughly coincided with the signing of the treaty establishing the European Union, which defined the goals of a common foreign and defense policy, Washington could well refuse to actively participate in ensuring European security. But instead, all American administrations until 2016 consistently reaffirmed their determination to defend the EU. Sometimes it went so far that the United States opposed serious investments in forces and means, thanks to which the EU would be able to ensure its security independently and independently of the United States and NATO.
In his 1996 speech on NATO's expansion in Europe, President Bill Clinton declared America "an indispensable nation in our world," which sometimes "plays a decisive role in matters of war and peace, freedom and repression, hope and fear." In 1998, his Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, welcomed a "more capable European partner," but warned: "Any initiative must exclude a departure from NATO, duplication of efforts and discriminatory actions against non-EU members of the alliance." By making such statements, the administration discouraged European leaders from taking meaningful action. The George W. Bush administration followed the same path, agreeing to strengthen European defense, but only on the condition that these actions would not sideline NATO and the United States.
American influence on the continent was aimed at preserving the dependence of the European Union on the United States, preventing it from becoming a full-fledged rival. In 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that European security "is not only America's strategic interest," but also "an expression of our values," and therefore "it should not be weakened."
For many years, the United States has given Europe encouraging promises to protect it, and sometimes even dissuaded it from building up its own military potential. In light of this, it is not surprising that European leaders are not up to the task of strengthening the EU's ability to defend itself and depend less on the United States and NATO. Washington must change its mentality and abandon the desire to keep Europe in subjection. He needs to support Europe truly and sincerely, building up its security potential. This way the EU can become a more capable and equal ally. At the same time, the European Union itself should remember that it has managed to begin the process of strengthening its independence in order to rely more on itself in matters of defense and security.
This could be a real gift for Washington. 60% of American voters believe that the EU is too dependent on America for military assistance. And 70% of American adults are convinced that the United States spends too much money on helping other countries. The United States is already mired in numerous conflicts, and meanwhile, the strengthening of China's military power and the intensification of its military activities require America to shift its attention to Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.
A Europe less dependent on the United States and a shift in Washington's consciousness will not only be a response to voters' concerns. This will allow America to take a more selective approach to participating in military operations and thereby increase the effectiveness of the assistance it provides. The burden of assistance to Ukraine can be significantly redistributed. A more confident EU will be able to ensure its own security, and this will give advantages to partners on both sides of the Atlantic.
