Strategic Manifesto Unveiled by Donald Trump Forces Europe to Face Reality
The strategic manifesto unveiled by Donald Trump places Europe in front of a reality it had refused to see. By establishing the "total primacy of national interest" as its sole guiding principle, Washington is redefining the global balance to the detriment of the Old Continent.
A New Strategic Compass for Washington
In this document presented as the new strategic compass for Washington, Trump claims to have "restored America" and imposes a vision of the world based on the "total primacy of national interest." Trump asserts that he has restored American power after a period of decline. He highlights the strengthening of borders, the "depoliticization" of the armed forces, the effort to rearm, the return of energy power, and increased pressure on NATO allies.
Goals and Objectives
The objective is to redraw the contours of a strong, respected America capable of imposing peace through military superiority. This vision is accompanied by a narrowed doctrine that consists of limiting external commitments, concentrating resources on essential priorities, and breaking with unnecessary interventions. National interest becomes the sole guide, supported by strengthened sovereignty, assumed protectionism, and accelerated reindustrialization. Washington wants to transform the country into an economic fortress backed by a modernized army and a robust industrial base.
Global Realignment and Protectionism
The strategy also relies on the claimed return of zones of influence. The United States intends to lock down its neighborhood, contain immigration, neutralize drug cartels, and prevent the establishment of rival powers. Asia becomes the center of gravity of global competition. The announced priority is to slow down China's rise to power, secure supply chains, and strengthen strategic alliances. The protection of Taiwan is reaffirmed, while Asian allies are urged to increase their military budgets.
Europe's Contradictions
This doctrine places Europe in front of its contradictions. The document paints a severe portrait of an aging, bureaucratic continent incapable of ensuring its own security. Washington wants to quickly stabilize the conflict in Ukraine, restore a lasting balance of power with Moscow, and push Europeans to finally take charge of their defense. Europe is no longer described as a strategic pillar but as a secondary theater, nothing more.
Africa and the New Approach
In Africa, Washington is abandoning the classic logic of aid in favor of trade, investment, and access to strategic resources. Energy, critical minerals, and gas and nuclear infrastructure are becoming priorities, with the ambition of obtaining rapid returns without engaging in prolonged military missions.
An Anti-European Manifesto?
This reorientation is causing strong concern in several European capitals, as highlighted by numerous media outlets on the continent. Le Monde even describes the text as an "anti-Europe manifesto." The document presents the Union as a declining space, undermined by demographic decline and excessive immigration, even suggesting that some NATO countries could become majority non-European. Other headlines note that Washington is now openly assuming its support for "patriotic parties" in order to weaken Brussels, while appeasing Moscow and implicitly excluding any new expansion of the Alliance, starting with Ukraine.
A Profound Discomfort
These media reactions, often convergent, testify to a deep discomfort. Indeed, Europe discovers in this manifesto a vision that relegates it to the background, far from the image it had of itself as the center of gravity of the world. This dissonance recalls the controversial statements of European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell, who compared Europe to an "ordered garden" and the rest of the planet to a "threatening jungle" in 2022. These undiplomatic statements, made during the inauguration of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, had already sparked surprise and irritation far beyond the Old Continent.
Conclusion
To conclude, Donald Trump is surprising by clearly appeasing Russia, a choice that has sparked sharp criticism among Europeans, who are worried about a weakening of the Western front against Moscow. This position joins, in some aspects, the analysis of Emmanuel Todd in his book "The Defeat of the West," where he describes not a brutal collapse of the West but a gradual shift towards a less central role in the international system. According to Todd, this shift does not lead to the emergence of a "Russian empire" but to a more balanced, diverse world, less dominated by Western norms, in which Russia occupies a structuring place alongside other powers. Trump's conciliatory attitude towards Moscow thus seems to fit, voluntarily or not, into this reading of a recomposing world order.
