The Fraying Transatlantic Alliance

The US-Israeli war on Iran is exposing deep fissures in US-EU ties, with NATO allies increasingly resisting Washington’s unilateral approach and renewing calls for greater European strategic autonomy.

The Historical Arc of Transatlantic Unity

The First Trump Presidency and the Strain on Alliances

Propelled by the “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” doctrine, the Trump administration, in its first tenure, adopted an explicitly confrontational stance towards its European allies, accusing them of being unfair to the United States on trade and criticizing NATO members as defaulting and delinquent for not contributing their fair share on defense. President Trump even questioned the significance of NATO, and persistently threatened to withdraw from the coalition. During his first tenure, Trump’s disregard for allies disrupted the core foundations of transatlantic unity, compelling major EU nations, including France and Germany, to push for greater European strategic autonomy.

Escalation in the Second Term and the Iran Crisis

Predictably, he reinforced this aggressive posture towards the European allies during his second tenure. Trump trembled NATO allies by threatening that he would prompt Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any member state if they did not contribute their fair........

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