Europe has become a playground for the United States, which no longer considers it necessary to take into account the interests of its overseas colleagues. The Portuguese political scientist Bruno Macaes writes about this in his article in the journal Politico.
As the author notes, at present, Europeans are gradually losing their independence in favor of Washington, which leads to the collapse of the transatlantic community. For the United States, this region is important for opposing Russia and China.
So, he refers to a recent statement by the historian Luuk van Middelaar. According to the scientist, Europe is moving from the status of a partner to the status of a vassal in relations with America.
The same position is held by the first Secretary-General of the European External Relations Service, Pierre Vimont, who, according to Macaes, believes that the concept of a vassal Europe is becoming more realistic.
“Today, Europe is more like a playground than a player,” the political scientist adds.
According to him, there are several reasons for this. First of all, this concerns the change in the configuration of forces on the world stage, where China has replaced Russia as the main opponent for America.
“Europe is now far from the center of events. On the contrary, Japan and India have become more important,” the expert explains.
In addition, the Europeans no longer have the same economic and military potential, therefore, in the event of an attack by Russia or China, they are unlikely to be able to resist them alone, Macaes believes.
In addition, Washington feels its vulnerability because Beijing already exceeds 70% of US production, while the USSR has never exceeded 40%.
“The appearance of an equal rival will lead to the fact that America will become less generous and much more mercantile,” the author emphasizes.
He concluded that the United States is moving towards a new, exciting cold war on its “life path,” while Europe is most likely waiting for a geopolitical sunset.
