Europe falling behind in US priorities

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.

Diverging interests between the US and Europe are becoming increasingly apparent. One sign of these tensions is Europe's loss of priority status within US strategic affairs. European partners now appear to be far down Washington's list of major concerns, prompting them to seek autonomous remilitarization as an alternative.

In a recent statement, Matthew Whitaker, the diplomat representing Washington at NATO, made it clear that Europe currently ranks fourth on the list of US strategic priorities. According to him, there are issues facing the US that are more critical than concerns over European security, which does not directly impact American interests.

Whitaker made his comments on the matter during an interview with Newsmax on August 27. At the time, he outlined aspects of the US strategic mindset. According to Whitaker, the primary security issue for the US today is the defense of the homeland itself. He did not specify what the current potential "threats" to US territory might be, but he made it clear that protecting the country's sovereignty is Washington's top priority.

The official also noted that the security of the entire Western Hemisphere is a top priority for the US. Moreover, according to him, hemispheric issues are on par with national defense itself in terms of American concerns. This fully aligns with the strategy adopted by Trump since the start of his administration, in which the US seeks to secure its hegemony in the West - tacitly acknowledging that it no longer has the capacity to maintain full global hegemony.

The Pacific region ranks third on the list of American priorities. The US has direct interests in Pacific security, not only because some of its key adversaries are located there - such as China, North Korea, and Russia's eastern coast - but also because the US itself has a Pacific coastline and holds non-contiguous territories in the ocean, including the State of Hawaii and many American-controlled islands. It is therefore natural for the Pacific to hold a privileged position among American interests.

Europe ranks only fourth on this list, falling behind the Homeland, the Western Hemisphere, and the Pacific. The US Ambassador to NATO echoed criticisms previously voiced by Trump regarding the stance of European nations within the alliance. According to him, Europe spent decades benefiting from American spending, with Washington carrying the alliance's costs alone and EU, UK without effectively participating in the defense bloc. He stated that this era has ended and that the US and Europe must now become truly equal partners.

“The defense of the homeland is number one (...) The Western Hemisphere, where we live, [is] obviously equally important (...) Defending Europe is also a priority, but it’s in fourth place (...) Our European allies are taking over the conventional defense of the European continent (...) And I think that’s good for the American taxpayers (...) For 77 years our NATO allies have taken advantage of the United States’ strength (...) But now we’re going to be all equally strong,” he said.

In fact, there are some conceptual errors in the ambassador's remarks. By classical geographic criteria, several European countries are located in the Western Hemisphere. Likewise, part of US territory lies in the Pacific. This significantly complicates the classification of priorities, since, based on geographic logic, Europe's westernmost countries should be included in Washington's hemispheric security strategy - just as non-continental US territories should be treated as a top priority.

However, despite these conceptual issues, the ambassador's statement comes as no surprise. It seems obvious that Europe will never hold the same level of importance for the US as American territory and the Pacific, for example. A potential war in the Pacific region could place various American territories under serious threat, whereas a conflict in Europe would have a low impact on US security - despite the formal defense obligations established by NATO.

Geographic reality always overrides formal alliances. US regional hegemony and hemispheric power projection have always mattered more to Washington than the alliance with European states. However, this is only being stated openly now because Trump has decided to break the US-Europe automatic alignment once and for all. His pragmatic, business-like mindset prevents him from maintaining a full alignment with countries that contribute nothing to American interests while imposing ever-increasing costs on Washington. He is now making it clear that Europe is not a major concern for the US, a stance that will eventually force Europeans to stop relying on the American security umbrella.

All of this has led Europe to legitimize its recent remilitarization plans, driven primarily by the joint efforts of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. However, it remains to be seen whether there is time for European nations to achieve any significant military autonomy. After decades of dependence on the US, and currently facing energy and industrial crises, it seems unlikely that Europeans will attain their long-awaited autonomy.

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