From American Support to Scorn

The Continent Needs to Up Its Game

Americans do not want the US to retreat from the world but don’t see Europe as a priority – its countries need to quickly learn some lessons, writes Alexandra Hall Hall

Given the Trump administration’s hostile rhetoric towards Europe, its mixed signals about NATO and other US security alliances, and its ambivalent stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine, Europeans are understandably worried about what this might mean for their own security.

They might take some comfort in a recent opinion poll conducted by the Reagan Institute about the foreign policy attitudes of American voters, which indicates continuing strong bipartisan support for US engagement in the world. But they may also be concerned about Americans’ more lukewarm attitude towards Europe in the findings.

“Americans are not retreating from the world – they are rallying around a foreign policy grounded in peace through strength, strong alliances, and morality,” the findings state. “They want the United States to counter authoritarian adversaries, to support our allies and friends, and to uphold freedom and democracy worldwide.”

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