Relaciones Transatlánticas

I’m in Denmark’s Parliament. Here’s Why America Has Us So Stunned.

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión Europea, ,

There are moments in history that are difficult to forget, that change the course of events. Danes have experienced several such moments in the past few months, but to me, the most defining one occurred a few weeks ago, when Vice President JD Vance said Denmark is “not being a good ally” to the United States.

Danes were stunned and stung. Our country has been nothing less than a stalwart ally of America. Many of us felt as if we were losing a longtime friend — almost as if a brother were abandoning us: The United States has been Denmark’s closest ally for 80 years.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior,

Los burócratas cansaron tanto a la gente que terminamos con empresarios manejando gobiernos. Y claro, gobiernan como si esto fuera una empresa, con la mirada clavada en los balances y sin otra consideración más allá de los números.

Los verdaderos líderes políticos —los estadistas, esos que piensan en generaciones, no en encuestas— brillan por su ausencia. Nadie quiere cargar con el coste de tomar decisiones impopulares. En ese vacío, aparecen los Trump, Musk, Vance y compañía con un bulldozer.

Y lo más duro es que, dentro de sus delirios, a veces tienen razón.

En este mundo a la deriva, cada cual que aguante su vela.…  Seguir leyendo »

What Special Relationship?

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Having told the young men of Harvard in 1943 that the British and the Americans were united by “the ties of blood and history” (that “blood” was dubious), Winston Churchill went further in 1946, again on American soil. In his famous “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton, Mo., he proposed “a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and empire and the United States”.

British politicians have been beguiled by the idea ever since. The latest is Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said recently that the two countries were uniquely “intertwined”. With a sense of dull inevitability, he insisted that the British-American special relationship was flourishing and professed admiration and a liking for President Trump, which nobody can really believe.…  Seguir leyendo »

La UE puede responder de forma contundente a Trump dándole la razón

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El presidente de Estados Unidos ha decidido imponer derechos de aduana, o aranceles, a sus principales socios comerciales. Empezó con aranceles adicionales sobre el acero y el aluminio, y también sobre los automóviles y sus componentes. El miércoles anunció un “arancel recíproco” del 20% sobre las importaciones de la UE, si bien los detalles acerca de cómo se va a concretar todavía se desconocen.

Los argumentos que subyacen a todas estas medidas son fundamentalmente dos: por un lado, EE UU quiere reducir su abultadísimo déficit comercial con la UE, y, por otro, pretende incrementar los puestos de trabajo manufactureros en su territorio, a fin de devolver la vitalidad a las zonas industriales que han languidecido durante las últimas décadas.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior,

In President Donald Trump’s inner circle, contempt for America’s traditional European allies is a badge of honor. “It’s PATHETIC!” honked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, referring to Europe’s dependence on U.S. military muscle, as part of the infamous Signal group chat that made it clear the secretary’s security savvy is, well, pathetic.

Let’s imagine that senior European leaders, in thrall to anti-American stereotypes as Trump & Co. are to anti-European clichés, took similar aim at U.S. flaws and failings. Or made a transatlantic trip to deliver a tendentious sucker punch, as Vice President JD Vance did when he ripped into Europe at the Munich Security Conference in February.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior,

L’animosité de Trump l’égard de l’Europe s’est intensifiée depuis le début de son second mandat, tant dans la rhétorique que dans les politiques mises en œuvre. Trump est même allé jusqu’à déclarer que «la raison d’être de la construction européenne avait toujours été de torpiller les intérêts américains !» Son vice-président JD Vance n’est pas en reste, ayant qualifié d’«erreur» le projet d’attaque américaine contre les Houthis du Yémen au motif que les Européens en tireraient aussi un bénéfice : «J’en ai assez de payer pour les Européens... dont 40% du commerce passe par le canal de Suez, contre 3% pour les États-Unis» a-t-il dit.…  Seguir leyendo »

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump meet in the White House in Washington on Feb. 27. Carl Court - Pool/Getty Images

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There’s nothing that upsets the British more than being ignored by the Americans. Or, if I’m being cruel, there’s nothing that upsets them more than not being shown love by the Americans. The special relationship between the two countries is an article of faith. It is desperately sought by one side and conferred with a pat on the head by the other.

For sure, there have been bumps in the road. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson was infuriated when British Prime Minister Harold Wilson declined to help him with Vietnam in 1967; Prime Minister John Major got on President Bill Clinton’s bad side when the Conservatives in the United Kingdom campaigned for George H.W.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaEuropa,

We need to be clear: while the American people may still be our friends, the Trump administration is no longer our ally. This is grave. It marks a fundamental break with the historic relationship between Europe and America and the link established after the second world war with the creation of the Atlantic alliance. It is unfortunately, however, indisputable. It is no longer merely a question of declarations designed to dumbfound, but of actions that mark much more than a disengagement: a strategic about-turn combined with an ideological confrontation. The signs of this reversal have been accumulating in recent weeks. The bewildering and degrading scenes in the Oval Office were the illuminating culmination.…  Seguir leyendo »

An employee handles 155 mm caliber shells manufactured at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 16, 2024. Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

MundoAméricaEuropa,

A deep sense of powerlessness and outright panic has beset Europe. Leaders seem shell-shocked by the speed of Washington’s pivot to Russia, the relentless steps toward a trans-Atlantic divorce, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s comprehensive adoption of the Kremlin’s views on Ukraine and much else. Should the United States continue on this path, it will have existential consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe itself—including an increasingly likely next war that it will have to fight without help from the United States. Trump’s public blow-up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday and the U.S. decision to halt weapons shipments to Ukraine have reinforced fears that the struggle against Russia may already be lost.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía,

Han bastado unas pocas semanas para que la segunda irrupción de Donald Trump en la presidencia de Estados Unidos haya puesto patas arriba muchas de las convenciones en las que se instalaba el mundo desde hacía décadas. Las medidas anunciadas en materia de comercio, política internacional o seguridad dan la puntilla a cualquier atisbo de orden multilateral y de un mundo con normas que pudiera quedar en pie. Con el frenesí de quien pretende noquear al contrario al inicio del primer asalto marcando infinidad de golpes que se superponen uno sobre otro, el primer efecto de la segunda era Trump es haber provocado un shock paralizante ante al que hay que reaccionar.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía, ,

En la primera reunión de gabinete de su segundo mandato, el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump declaró que tiene intención de imponer un arancel general del 25% a todas las importaciones procedentes de la Unión Europea. Pero antes de abrir un frente europeo en su guerra comercial, tal vez le convendría pensar en la mala situación económica del continente: la economía alemana viene experimentando una larga desaceleración, mientras que Italia y Francia enfrentan graves problemas de deuda pública. Si lo hace quizá comprenderá que sus medidas arancelarias (parte de su agenda de «Estados Unidos primero») pueden desencadenar una recesión en toda Europa y otra crisis de deuda en la eurozona.…  Seguir leyendo »

Emmanuel Macron with Donald Trump at the White House this week. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AP

MundoAméricaEuropa,

Dominique de Villepin made his name with a memorable speech to the UN security council in February 2003, just before the US-led invasion of Iraq. De Villepin, the then French foreign minister, in effect signalled France’s intention to veto a UN resolution authorising the war, forcing the US and UK to act unilaterally. He warned that Washington’s strategy would lead to chaos in the Middle East and undermine international institutions. The prophetic plea was met with applause, a rare event in the security council chamber. It led to the career diplomat’s inclusion as a character in David Hare’s 2004 anti-war play, Stuff Happens.…  Seguir leyendo »

Sir Keir Starmer arrives for a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on 27 February, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Carl Court - Pool/Getty Images)

MundoAméricaEuropa,

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was one of four European leaders President Donald Trump received in Washington this week, following Polish President Andrzej Duda and French President Emmanuel Macron, and before Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. With Trump it is hard to say for sure, but it would appear there is more to play for in the transatlantic partnership than the fallout from the Munich Security Conference suggested.

The statements of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance around the time of Munich had seemed like a death knell for Europe’s relationship with the US, but that may yet prove to have been more noise than signal.…  Seguir leyendo »

Un seguidor de Trump durante el asalto de 2021.AFP

MundoAméricaInternacionalOrden MundialEuropaUnión EuropeaUE a debate,

El 2 de enero de 2021, en estas páginas, Equipaje de mano abordaba bajo el título "Nuestras sociedades partidas" el desgarro del tejido social de las comunidades nacionales trasatlánticas. Cuatro años después, la deriva del segundo mandato de Donald Trump y el panorama europeo invitan a volver sobre el tema. Entre los acontecimientos recientes destaca la ola AfD tiñendo el mapa este-alemán tras los comicios del domingo. El fin de semana también nos deparó a Santiago Abascal, cabeza de Vox, interviniendo en el Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) -la cita anual patrocinada por el movimiento MAGA en Washington-; sus contorsiones al referirse a Ucrania para acomodar al máximo la postura de su anfitrión; y su ditirámbico cierre: "la época de las tinieblas está llegando a su fin.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía,

Impérialisme territorial, guerre commerciale, alliance avec Poutine, ingérences dans nos démocraties : les attaques de la nouvelle administration Trump contre l’Union européenne (UE) se multiplient. Certains espéraient que le Vieux Continent serait négligé, mais nous sommes désormais dans le viseur. Aucune forme de dialogue ne sera en mesure de dissuader le président américain d’affaiblir l’Europe. Même une hausse des achats d’armes ou d’énergies fossiles américaines, prônée par certains, ne saurait écarter durablement la menace − d’autant que Trump ne se sent pas engagé par ses propres deals, comme en témoigne le bras de fer engagé avec le Canada et le Mexique.…  Seguir leyendo »

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech in Strasbourg, France, on July 18, 2024. Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images

MundoAméricaEuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía,

It is hard to keep track of all the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump is announcing or enacting these days. On top of the 10 percent tariffs that he imposed on China on Feb. 4, Washington has announced across-the-board steel and aluminum tariffs effective March 12 and plans to discuss reciprocal tariffs on all countries on April 2. On the same day, a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico could come into effect, in addition to a tariff specifically targeting U.S. car imports. Yesterday, to round things off, Trump said that he will “very soon” announce a 25 percent tariff on imports from the European Union.…  Seguir leyendo »

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader, Friedrich Merz, reacts after the exit poll results are announced for the German general election, Berlin, 23 February 2025. Photograph: Angelika Warmuth/Reuters

EuropaUnión Europea, ,

It is hard to overstate the importance of Friedrich Merz’s urgent message to the nation after his win in the German elections. This, after all, is the beginning of a new, dangerous era in European security. It would be his “absolute priority”, Merz said, immediately after victory for the CDU/CSU was confirmed, to create unity in Europe as quickly as possible, “so that, step by step, we can achieve independence from the US”. He added: “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television programme”.

Indeed. For the leader of the conservative CDU, a lifelong believer in the transatlantic security alliance, this is a significant reversal.…  Seguir leyendo »

America and Russia Are on the Same Side Now

MundoAméricaEuropa,

During the Cold War, large and influential Communist parties in Western Europe maintained ties with Moscow, ranging from sympathetic to subservient. The United States kept its distance and in many cases supported their opponents financially and politically.

Now Europe is confronted with a loose alliance of Russian-leaning parties, this time on the other end of the spectrum: the far right. And the U.S. government has taken the opposite approach: a warm embrace.

By doing so, the United States is condoning Russia’s subversion of the postwar Europe that America helped create and secure. The parties Russia favors are hostile to the European Union, opposed to higher military spending and receptive to Russia’s arguments about the recklessness of NATO expansion and the need to assert right-wing Christian values.…  Seguir leyendo »