Europe Can’t Decouple Its Way to Power
Europe is experiencing a bout of geopolitical vertigo. With Donald Trump having once again floated the purchase of Greenland and threatened tariffs against his European allies, the transatlantic relationship looks more fragile than at any point in recent memory. NATO may yet survive the strain, but hoping for a return to predictability is no longer a strategy. European leaders must plan for a world in which American politics remains volatile.
The instinctive response across Europe has largely been to turn inward. From fierce resistance to the Mercosur trade agreement to growing calls for “tech sovereignty” and “defence autonomy”, the prevailing reflex is decoupling: less reliance on the United States, fewer global supply chains, more state-backed substitutes. If Washington is unreliable, the argument runs, Europe should build its own clouds, satellites, and defence systems behind protective walls.
This instinct is understandable. It is also misguided.