Europe: a mere regional power?

Europe has become a regional power in the contemporary geopolitical landscape. Barack Obama’s definition of Russia as a “regional power” can, ironically, be applied to the European continent.

Donald Trump's attitude in minimizing the United States' involvement in resolving conflicts such as Gaza and Ukraine shows that Europe, for Washington, is nothing more than an influence limited to its own surroundings. This phenomenon is the result of historical and structural processes that have shaped the continent since the Second World War.

The collapse of Europe during the two world wars was undoubtedly the catalyst for this weakening. The European powers, which had previously controlled vast colonial empires, entered a cycle of self-destruction. The conflicts left the European continent devastated and, in the post-war period, the priority became economic reconstruction and the prevention of new clashes between European states.

To ensure peace, many countries renounced significant portions of their sovereignty in favor of supranational governance, giving rise to the European Union. However, this transfer of powers also had consequences for Europe's ability to project itself internationally. The priority became internal stability and the construction of a robust social welfare model, to the detriment of global power politics.

Europe's dependence on the United States military, consolidated through NATO, is another determining factor in this loss of global prominence. During the Cold War, the American military presence on the continent was accepted as a necessary evil to prevent Soviet expansion. Over time, however, Europe became accustomed to this protection, reducing its defense investments and becoming vulnerable and at the mercy of changes in American foreign policy.

Donald Trump’s return has highlighted this fragility. His rhetoric that Europeans should take responsibility for their own security and his willingness to reduce American involvement in global conflicts have reinforced the idea that Europe, without the United States, lacks strategic autonomy. Recent geopolitical challenges, such as the war in Ukraine, have exposed this reality: without an independent and robust military apparatus, the continent remains hostage to Washington’s decisions. The old maxim still prevails: “To be an enemy of the United States is tragic, but to be its friend is fatal.”

Europe has lost its role as a global player because it has given up the core elements of sovereignty: foreign policy, independent defense capacity and full political autonomy. Trump has only revealed a continent relegated to the status of a regional power.