In the absence of the US security guarantee, Europe will have to rearm while also remaining united. The good news is that the Europeans are capable of achieving both—as long as they truly want to. When faced with the second Trump presidency, Europe may be experiencing all five stages of grief at the same time: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Where Europe’s defense and deterrence are concerned, the stakes of coming to terms with the new US administration could not be higher. Europe faces war in Ukraine and the Russian threat will not simply go away, even with a temporary “peace.” Europe’s whole security architecture has been founded on cardinal, sacred truths for many decades: The United States provides Europe’s nuclear and conventional defense and in exchange Europe keeps its markets open to America, buys US military equipment, and joins the US on expeditionary operations.

Internationale Politik Quarterly

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