Putin and Trump: Challenges to Europe's Liberal Order
The postwar US-led liberal order, built on democracy and the rule of law, has long shaped Europe and the European Union through US support and initiatives like the Marshall Plan. However, recent geopolitical dynamics reveal challenges posed by leaders like Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, who are both seen as seeking status by threatening Europe. Putin aims to be feared if not loved, while Trump seeks to disrupt the established liberal order.
Western democracies widely view Putin as a bully and Trump as an incoherent and dangerous leader. Trump's national security strategy purports to maintain US soft power but simultaneously demands intervention in Europe to replace the old order with a system based on power and national self-interest. He desires that Europe break away from liberal norms, transforming the continent into a collection of sovereign nationalist states and weakening the EU to suit his Make America Great Again (MAGA) preferences.
The article warns that Trump's tactics, including punitive measures such as visa restrictions on fact-checkers and moderators as well as pressuring the EU over services, risk backfiring. This is illustrated by a comparison to the Bolsonaro case in Brazil. Ultimately, the piece concludes that the US cannot sustain global soft power while also playing a retrenched, spoiler role. Without credible global power, Europe risks losing its liberal-democratic model.
