Re: Make Europe Great Again - For its own good, Europe needs to overcome 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'

Cauf Skiviers wrote:
Donald Trump might indeed help make Europe great again, if only European
leaders would set aside their faux outrage and take him seriously.
 His previous warnings about Europe's over-reliance on Russian energy, the
danger of open border policies, and the consequences of reckless military
underspending were once met with disdain. However, following Putin's

of Ukraine, years of economic stagnation, and a migrant crisis that has
toppled governments across the UK, Italy, Germany, and potentially soon
France, it would be wise for Europe to heed Trump's advice this time around.
 Since the end of the Cold War, and particularly over the last decade, Europe
has adopted a clearly unsustainable economic model, one that relied on cheap
Russian energy, massive trade deficits with China, U.S. taxpayer-subsidized
defense, and a bloated welfare stateboth burdened and simultaneously kept
afloat by mass migration.
 This approach has plunged the continent into a permanent economic crisis,
crippling its industry and infrastructure, compromising Europe's energy
security, eroding social cohesion, and undermining its ability to defend
itself. Until recently, this model survived on artificially low interest
rates and burgeoning debt levels, but now the failure of the European model
is exposed for the world to see.
 The good news, though, is that Donald Trump is now dealing the cards on
international trade, offering Europe a choice between a winning hand and a
losing one. The bad news is that it's up to European leaders to choose
wisely.
 The winning hand involves a partnership where Europe increases its purchases
of U.S. energy goods, boosts defense spending with American contractors, and
adopts a stricter trade policy towards China. This creates a win-win
situation, where the U.S. addresses its trade deficit with European allies,
while helping them bolster their defense and energy independence, keeping
antagonistic powers like Russia and China at bay.
 The losing hand involves tariffs that would further strain Europe's already
faltering economy.
 In 2018, the EU opted for the losing route, dismissing Trump's attempts to
negotiate a more balanced trade relationship and responding to U.S. tariffs
by raising import duties on American productsa move that ultimately harmed
Europe's own economy. This time, however, it would be wiser to choose a
different path.
 The U.S. is already the largest supplier of LNG to Europe, which suggests
that increased energy trade is both feasible and mutually beneficial,
especially if it replaces Russian gas. Trump has prioritized unleashing
America's energy resources in his second term, focusing on Alaska and the
Outer Continental Shelf. Increased European demand could help accelerate the
necessary investments.
 Boosting defense spending in Europe presents, admittedly, a much greater
challenge, given many countries' chronic budget deficits and cumbersome
procurement processes. But, with Putin knocking at its door, it's high time
for Europe to straighten out its priorities while it still can.
 Europe's alignment with the Trump Administration's efforts to counter

predatory trade strategies should be straightforward, but it won't be.
Although the vast majority of the European Commission's trade violation
investigations, mostly anti-dumping cases, target unfair Chinese trade
practices, the EU maintains a pragmatic, self-fashioned image as a bastion

liberal free trade. This perspective, although detached from reality,
resonates with the mindset of the average eurocrat.
 The trade deficit between the U.S. and Europe is large$150 billion. Still,
that is only half of the U.S.'s $300 billion trade deficit with China. The

faces a similar deficit with China, totaling $291 billion, a situation that
underscores how the U.S. and EU are natural trade partners and, by enhancing
their collaboration, both could potentially benefit at the expense of their
mutual adversaries.
 There's a risk, or even the certainty, that this alignment will prompt China
to impose trade barriers and tariffs. But if Europeans are listening to

carefully, it's not a matter of "if" the EU will be drawn into a trade war,
but rather which side it will choose.
 Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, seems to
understand that, as she has advised European leaders to negotiate rather

retaliate and "buy American to avoid a Trump trade war." This sentiment was
echoed last week in Davos by Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase, who

Trump's strategy as effective in "bringing people to the negotiating table."
 Now, it's up to European leaders to take a different approach to Trump: move
beyond the usual childish contempt and recognize the opportunities he will
present. By working with Trump, they have the chance to steer Europe away
from the path of economic vulnerability and geopolitical irrelevance,

greater energy security, economic prosperity, and military readiness.
 In short, they have the opportunity to make Europe great again.