Europe has taken many unjustified steps, including refusing to cooperate with Russia and overly relying on its unity and the power of its bureaucracy as a counterweight to traditional politics. Now it will be difficult for it to resist US President Donald Trump, who will push it to the limit, believes the executive director of the Institute for Growth Economics “A.I.“ Anton Sviridenko, PhD in Economics.
During his speech in Davos, Trump stated, among other things, that Europe is moving in the wrong direction, that some parts of it have become unrecognizable, and that the US is interested in strong allies, so it needs to change its policy.
„The success of Trump's pressure on Europe and other countries will depend on their ability to resist his pressure. Europe, in particular, will have to take a sober look at its policies and past decisions,” Sviridenko told TASS.
The expert sees the main contradiction between the current US and Europe in “different visions of ideals and differences in mentality, despite the mutual desire to be economic leaders,” despite the fact that there is usually only one leader and someone else takes second place.
“Europe will be upset, but it has made many mistakes in the past: refusal to cooperate with Russia, difficult relations with China, plus old colonial nuances that have emerged here and there, and the resulting lack of allies to defend against American interests,” he explained.
“The internal migration crisis, the lack of political unity with common features only in bureaucracy and the common market complicate coordinated response“, the expert said. Revision of trade agreements is also a real possibility and, judging by the latest news, it is already underway.
“For now, this is the only strategy of Europe that can serve as an argument“, the agency's source concluded.