Europe's Identity Crisis Deepens as U.S. Foreign Policy Shifts Under Trump

Carlos Gaspar, a researcher at IPRI-NOVA, has long shaped Portugal's approach to foreign policy and European integration. Having advised three Portuguese presidents, he now examines the shifting dynamics between Europe and the United States. His latest analysis highlights a growing sense of abandonment among Europeans as U.S. policy under Donald Trump pulled back from traditional alliances.

Gaspar points to a fundamental tension in U.S. foreign policy: the struggle between its identity as a republic grounded in democratic values and its role as a global empire. This dilemma, he argues, became more pronounced under Trump, whose administration adopted a confrontational, isolationist stance toward Europe. Unlike his predecessors, Bush and Obama, Trump pushed NATO allies to increase defence spending while threatening to reduce U.S. commitments. Trade disputes escalated, with tariffs imposed on European goods—some of which were only resolved in later agreements by 2025.

Trump's approach also included unilateral deals with rivals like Russia, often bypassing European concerns. Gaspar links this shift to an ideological agenda, one where Trump positioned himself as the sole defender of Western civilisation against China and Russia. The researcher warns that the greater risk to the West lies not in its declining influence but in abandoning the universality of its core values.

In a recent podcast, Gaspar explored these tensions further, questioning whether Europe remains a unified fortress or a fragile structure at risk of collapse. He also tackled long-avoided transatlantic issues, framing the current era as a clash between two opposing visions of the West—one rooted in multilateral cooperation, the other in transactional nationalism.

Gaspar's observations reflect broader unease in Europe over America's changing role on the world stage. The ideological divide he describes suggests lasting consequences for transatlantic relations, particularly if the U.S. continues to prioritise unilateral actions over shared democratic principles. For now, Europe faces the challenge of redefining its place in a world where old certainties no longer hold.