{"id":13809,"date":"2024-09-20T23:17:18","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T21:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=13809"},"modified":"2024-09-20T23:21:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T21:21:00","slug":"how-the-u-s-election-could-impact-europes-defense-and-nato","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/13809\/how-the-u-s-election-could-impact-europes-defense-and-nato\/","title":{"rendered":"How the U.S. Election Could Impact Europe’s Defense and NATO"},"content":{"rendered":"
As the 2024 U.S. elections approach, the future of Europe\u2019s defense and NATO faces uncertainty. Bastiaan van Apeldoorn, professor of global political economy and geopolitics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam<\/span>, believes the outcome will significantly influence Europe\u2019s defense landscape.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Van Apeldoorn notes that Trump\u2019s first term (2016-2020) marked a period of tension for transatlantic relations. Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d approach undermined the <\/span>NATO alliance <\/span>and raised questions about the U.S.\u2019s commitment to European security. His threat to withdraw from NATO, though never realized, cast doubt over the alliance. According to van Apeldoorn, \u201cTrump\u2019s re-election could severely strain NATO, pushing the EU toward more defense autonomy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n During Trump\u2019s presidency, Europe already started to consider <\/span>to <\/span>become<\/span> more independent <\/span>militar<\/span>i<\/span>l<\/span>y<\/span>. If Trump wins<\/span> the elections<\/span> again, van Apeldoorn argues, the EU <\/span>would<\/span> likely <\/span>fe<\/span>el<\/span> forced to <\/span>speed <\/span>up<\/span> its plans for increased defense spending, leading <\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span> decis<\/span>ions that will directly affect European citizens. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>We\u2019re already seeing cuts in areas like higher education <\/span><\/span>so<\/span><\/span> higher military spending<\/span> <\/span>ca<\/span><\/span>n be <\/span>fun<\/span>ded<\/span>,\u201d he points out. \u201cA second Trump term would likely amplify these pressures, leading to even higher defense spending in Europe.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Harris vs. Trump: The Future of NATO<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n While Trump\u2019s stance on NATO remains unpredictable, van Apeldoorn sees Harris as a more <\/span>stabilizing figure. \u201cHarris is expected to follow Biden\u2019s lead on NATO,\u201d he explains. \u201cUnder her presidency, Europe would likely see more continuity in defense relations, though the U.S. focus on China as a global rival will still affect transatlantic dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n This shift toward China, according to van Apeldoorn, will be a major factor in U.S.-EU relations, regardless of the election outcome. Both Trump and Harris will maintain a focus on countering <\/span>Chinese influence, forcing Europe to choose<\/span> its position carefully. \u201cEurope will have to decide whether to fully align with U.S. policies on China, which could strain EU-China economic relations,\u201d says van Apeldoorn. \u2018\u2019<\/span>Aligning with the U.S. could maintain good relations with them on the other hand, but the question is whether it\u2019s in Europe\u2019s best interest to follow America\u2019s lead in everything.\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n A Push for European Defense Autonomy<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Van Apeldoorn believes that even if Harris wins, the EU <\/span><\/span>ma<\/span><\/span>y<\/span> continue<\/span> to build more autonomous defense capabilities. <\/span>While Harris is less likely to undermine NATO as Trump might, the overall trend of Europe taking on more responsibility for its defense is likely to grow.<\/span> <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been growing <\/span><\/span>perception within Europe that it needs to invest more in its own defense, regardless of who is in the White House,\u201d van Apeldoorn says. \u201cWhile I don\u2019t expect Trump to fully pull out of NATO, his actions could weaken the alliance, forcing the EU to prepare for a future where it is more self-reliant.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bastiaan van Apeldoorn emphasizes that the U.S. election will be a turning point for Europe\u2019s defense and NATO. While Trump\u2019s re-election could undermine NATO and push the EU toward defense autonomy, a Harris presidency would <\/span>likely stabilize transatlantic relations but not necessarily improve them. However, both scenarios present challenges for Europe as it navigates shifting global power landscape, particularly in its relationship with China.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the 2024 U.S. elections approach, the future of Europe\u2019s defense and NATO faces uncertainty. Bastiaan van Apeldoorn, professor of global political economy and geopolitics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, believes the outcome will significantly influence Europe\u2019s defense landscape. Van Apeldoorn notes that Trump\u2019s first term (2016-2020) marked a period of tension for transatlantic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1969,"featured_media":13808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n