U.S. President Donald Trump's barrage of attacks on the European Union (EU), from migration to regulation, and with a new national security strategy, codify a seismic shift in transatlantic relations, a European expert said Friday.
Released last week, the U.S. policy document claims Europe faces "civilisational erasure" within the next two decades and criticized Europe's crackdown on far-right forces as political "censorship." It says the U.S. will "cultivate resistance" in the bloc to "correct its current trajectory."
In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, Trump has once again provoked outrage among his European allies, describing them as "weak" and leading a "decaying" group of nations, criticizing the region's response to immigration and the war in Ukraine.
The United States also signaled its support for far-right forces in Europe, which shocked Europe even more. Trump said that he would continue to support European politicians whom he sees as more capable.
In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the U.S. president should not interfere into democratic processes in the EU member countries.
Sven Biscop, acting director-general of the Royal Institute for International Relations, a government-dependent and non-profit Brussels-based think tank, expressed his concern about U.S. interference in the internal affairs of European countries in an interview with CGTN.
"I think what upsets Europeans most is the very explicit promise in the national security strategy of the U.S. that the Americans will intervene in our domestic policies to cultivate resistance, they say, basically against the European Union. And that kind of intervention or domestic politics cannot be tolerated," Biscop said.
Biscop believes the United States' repeated criticisms and contemptuous remarks towards Europe indicate a structural shift in its strategic positioning of Europe, suggesting a potential decisive rift in U.S.-EU relations and a weakening or even collapse of their alliance.
"But it will never be the alliance as we knew it during the Cold War. That will not come back. It's no longer the case that whatever happens, the U.S. and the EU will always agree, or will always be on the same side. That's a really big structural change," he said.
New U.S. national security strategy represents shift in transatlantic relations: expert
New U.S. national security strategy represents shift in transatlantic relations: expert
New U.S. national security strategy represents shift in transatlantic relations: expert
Japan's attitude to nuclear weapons will impact the global peace landscape and denuclearization is the best option for a nation that has experienced horrors and tragedies of nuclear weapons, according to some ordinary Japanese in Tokyo.
"Because Japan is the world's only nuclear-bombed country, it is the only nation that fully understands the horrors and tragedies of nuclear weapons. For such a country to possess nuclear weapons, it means very different from what other countries would do the same. Furthermore, the Three Non-Nuclear Principles were born to prevent such tragedies from recurring. If Japan were to review them, I strongly feel that this would be a major event that would drastically alter the global peace landscape," said Hikaru Kusano, a stage playwright in Tokyo.
In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, accelerating the end of World War II.
Eighty-one years on, right-wing forces in Japan are gearing up to revive militarism.
The Japanese authorities are rebuilding Japan's war machine, seeking to revise the three non-nuclear principles, and pursuing nuclear sharing with the U.S. side, even the possession of nuclear weapons.
"I also believe we should not possess them. Because starting from sharing, we might gradually be forced to accept new rules beyond mere sharing. Moreover, I don't think we need to comply so obediently," said Notaki Saito, a salesman in Tokyo.
"I firmly believe Japan must never share nuclear weapons. If Japan shares nuclear weapons, it will pose a threat to other countries. This means other nations will feel threatened and seek nuclear weapons themselves. If every country in the world possesses nuclear weapons, the world will fall into a Cold War state as the United States and the Soviet Union once did. This will plunge the entire world into a state of tension. Never share nuclear weapons. I believe we must never do anything that endangers Japan and global security," said Kusano.
Kota Takahashi, a Nagasaki native shaped by childhood knowledge of the atomic bombing, asserts nuclear arms bring no benefit but harm.
"At the very least, it will bring no benefits. If anything, it will only bring negative consequences. I am from Nagasaki. I learned a lot about the atomic bombing and nuclear weapons when I was little. I believe I have a good understanding of their severity," he said.
"I firmly believe that possessing nuclear weapons can never bring security. The side targeted by nuclear weapons will suffer radioactive contamination. Therefore, I believe renouncing nuclear weapons is the most essential choice. I believe denuclearization should well be the best option," said Masahiro Sawa, a teacher in Tokyo.
Japanese citizens criticize government's attitude to nuclear weapons
