Unsurprisingly, the National Security Strategy (NSS) has set off a storm across the Atlantic. The German chancellor called parts of the document “unacceptable,” while the president of the European Council warned that Europeans must now “protect themselves even against the allies who defy them.” (...) Even Pope Leo XIV urged the Trump administration “not to break apart the transatlantic relationship.” Yet does Washington really intend to do that? On closer examination, the picture is more nuanced. The NSS makes it clear that the Trump administration views Europe as rushing toward collapse—and that Washington would prefer to prevent this, if only for reasons of strategic self-interest.

The paper answers the following questions, among others :
· What are the three defense-related reasons that justify the U.S. voicing concern over European domestic developments ?
· Why are strong European allies now, for the first time ever, seriously in the U.S. interest?
· What are the two implications this has for Europe?
· How does the Trump administration risk torpedoing its own strategy toward Europe (hint: in four different ways)?

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