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A major new study claims that Donald Trump and the American MAGA movement have launched a ‘culture war’ on Europe.
It goes on to say that they are “waging this through support of ideological and political allies on the continent, and the public humiliation of Europe on the world stage.”
The report, called ‘European Sentiment’ in the context of EU-US relations, was published on Tuesday by the European Cultural Foundation and European Council on Foreign Relations.
It seeks to be a study of European sentiment – “a sense of belonging to a common space, sharing a common future, and subscribing to common values.”
The results, according to the authors, “come against a backdrop of a culture war being waged on the EU-27 by the U.S. President, Donald Trump.”
In the fourth edition of the annual study, ECFR’s Pawel Zerka utilises pan-European research and available public opinion polling from each EU member state to sketch out the political and societal impacts of the Trump administration.
It also issues a series of recommendations to EU leaders for their engagements with Washington in the coming period.
The report will be formally unveiled at a conference in Brussels later on Tuesday.
Commenting on the findings,Zerka, said, “In Trump’s culture war, Europe itself – more than any leader, party, or policy – is the target.
“The U.S. President has revealed his hand in this regard, by excluding EU leaders from talks on the future of Ukraine, attacking mainstream political parties of the continent, and extorting the Brussels institutions in trade negotiations.
“This has thrust the EU into a ‘Truman moment’, whereby it must choose between vassalisation or self-determination in its relationship with the U.S. This does not mean Europe should provoke Trump at every turn. Sometimes buying time is necessary. But these arrangements make sense only if European leaders treat them as placeholders, while Europe doubles down on its autonomy.
“Europe has incredible strengths that should allow it to thrive rather than suffer in a world order whose destabilisation has been accelerated by the US president. And the culture war with Trump’s America offers it an opportunity to prove it.”
According to André Wilkens, Director of the European Cultural Foundation, said, “It’s culture, stupid!” is a thought that urgently needs to enter the mindset of European leaders. Only then will national governments and EU institutions be able to respond effectively to Trump’s next provocation.
“Only then will leaders of political parties be able to frame their electoral strategies in ways that respond to people’s genuine attachment to Europe – thus limiting the appeal of Trump’s ideological allies in their countries.
He adds, “The European Sentiment is not abstract utopianism. It’s about real feelings for Europe and Europeans’ readiness to fight for them. The next 7-year EU budget will be Europe’s litmus test. The EU must invest in culture’s multiple dimensions – including media and civil society – to make the bloc fit for the battle for Europe.”
The exhaustive report, to be launched at the aptly named European House of History in Brussels, claims that the U.S. President is “actively seeking to re-frame the Transatlantic relationship around conservative values; and position freedom of speech as a rallying point for his allies in the EU.”
The report argues that the reticence of European leaders, when it comes to dealing with Trump, is inviting such treatment.
The study depicts the EU as a character akin to ‘Truman Burbank’ – a role played by Jim Carey in the acclaimed 1998 comedy, ‘The Truman Show’ – and argues that the bloc’s governments spend most of their energy reacting to crises scripted by Trump and his European allies rather than setting the agenda themselves.
“European sentiment” is strong across the EU-27, and conditions are ripe for a ‘Truman moment’ of self-determination when it comes to the Transatlantic relationship, it says.
“Trust in the EU is at its highest since 2007, and, in nearly every member state, majorities feel attached to Europe and are optimistic about the bloc’s future. Many also view Europe not just as an economic project, but as a community of values, security, and shared destiny.”
The principal takeaway of the study is that, for all of the goodwill evident in EU member states, Europe is stuck in a ‘Truman moment’ (i.e. one in which the set is understood to be artificial but where the main character lacks the courage to walk off and define their future).
“While many of Europe’s leaders have adopted a strategy of flattery in their engagements with the 47th U.S. President, Trump’s known disdain of Europe, and his track record of behaviour and threats towards its members, cannot be ignored. Resistance to filling gaps in the EU’s autonomy, in such a climate, will ultimately put the bloc on a path toward total vassalisation,” Zerka writes.
Among his recommendations, Zerka urges European leaders to recognise that they face a coordinated international movement determined to overturn Europe’s liberal democratic order.
He argues that they should respond by utilising the ultimate tool in their arsenal: “strong European sentiment, which should allow the continent to build strategic autonomy – step by step in defence, tech, energy, and completion of the single market – even if this means sharper transatlantic tensions.”
He admits that, within the EU, “this will require greater integrity and leadership from parties of the political mainstream, as well as the reclaiming of contested concepts such as sovereignty, nationalism and patriotism from the New Right.”
The study author concludes, “However, this is a step worth taking, if Europe is to break free from a future of American vassalage, and become the “author of its own story”.
Martin Banks, aged 63, is an experienced British-born journalist who has been covering the EU beat (and much else besides) in Brussels since 2001.Previously, he had worked for many years in regional journalism in the UK, including as chief reporter at his last paper there, and freelanced for national titles for several years, notably the Daily Telegraph. He has a keen interest in foreign affairs/geo-politics and has closely followed the workings of the European Parliament and MEPs in particular for many years. He has built up, since arriving in Brussels in 2001, a wide and reliable network of contacts, not just in politics but across the spectrum. He’s also experienced in subbing, proofing, commissioning and editing and has also had stints on news desks.
