Trump 2.0 signature win? Pushing a giant peace project to war posture
It’s no secret that Donald Trump hopes to get the Nobel Peace prize but his signature accomplishment in the 46 days since he returned to the White House is to force a gigantic, continent-wide peace project into a war posture.
The European Union (EU) was founded after World War II as a “peace project”. Last week, it made a significant advance on its new war project. On Thursday (March 6), the 27 EU leaders formally agreed to go from the welfare state focus to the warfare state. And European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has promised a new legal framework for massive new defence spending before the next EU summit in two weeks.
Defence investment is expected to rise by as much as €800 billion but arguments are already breaking out about the expected largesse from the European Commission. Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has said €150 billion should be a gift rather than a loan, while France’s president Emmanuel Macron declared €150 billion just wouldn’t be enough.
While the arguments will continue, what’s unlikely to change is the way Europe is now forcing itself to think. War. Existential dilemmas. Bloodshed.
Europe can expect to be in a hot war against Russia some time soon. Not only is Russia cutting undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and meddling in European elections, it’s talking to Mr Trump about a “peace” deal in Ukraine that sounds awfully like total victory.
If a ceasefire is agreed in Ukraine, it will be the responsibility of European air forces and ground troops to try and enforce it.
That will be a big, dangerous and possibly open-ended job. Unsurprisingly, Europe’s mindset is now set to a generational change – for war, not peace.
And it’s all down to Mr Trump.
