THE US–Iran conflict is emerging as a test case for Europe.

While Mr Trump pushes his agenda for a Gaza Board, no European country is included. This marks a major shift in the EU’s strategic realm, indicating that Europe is gradually finding its moorings independently. A global upheaval appears to be on the anvil.

Germany’s economy stands crippled due to the Ukraine war, a condition shared by other European states, with the impact most pronounced in Western Europe. This economic decline is set to affect global trade and create new geopolitical fault lines, prompting the recurring question: where is the United States? Europe continues to press Ukraine to do more, yet European countries are compelled to raise defence budgets despite crumbling economies and a global slowdown, further aggravated by Mr Trump’s tariff doctrine. The USA is no longer a willing partner to foot NATO’s bill. The initial plan of France, Germany and NATO to push Ukraine into war—assuming Russia could not withstand NATO’s combined military strength and US sanctions—has backfired. Expectations that confiscating $300 billion in reserves and cutting Russian oil sales would cripple Moscow and that Western technology would prevail militarily, proved misplaced.

Russia avoided political outbursts or dramatic reactions, instead quietly taking decisive steps. European companies’ shares in Russia, worth around $120 billion, were seized and Moscow moved away from the SWIFT system, relying on CIPS and local currency settlements. Today, BRICS accounts for nearly 60 percent of global GDP and about 189........

© Pakistan Observer