"Crisis, emergency situation, turning point" Trump rages - now an expert warns
Trump is raging, Europe is preparing for the worst and Selenskyj is not wearing a suit. The weekend was a tough one. But what is the situation really like? An expert explains.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- After the scandal in the White House, European states are discussing new defense strategies, while France and Great Britain are keeping their nuclear weapons ready.
- Diplomacy historian Fintan Hoey sees a potential disintegration of the transatlantic alliance and warns of the unpredictable consequences of Trump's policies.
- In view of the uncertainty surrounding NATO, EU states and Canada are discussing military autonomy - Switzerland is sticking to its neutrality.
US President Donald Trump has been in office for more than a month. His policy resembles the demolition of a skyscraper: knocking everything down with a wrecking ball and then building a new house. In the space of a month, Trump has pushed through more changes than any previous US president.
Then, at the weekend, it came to a bang. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is insulted in the White House, France and the UK want to put nuclear weapons on standby and Europe is working on a new defense strategy.
A historic moment in world politics
Diplomacy historian and professor at Franklin University in Switzerland, Fintan Hoey, classifies the events for blue News.
In short: "It's a crisis, an emergency situation, a turning point." What is happening right now is a historic moment. "It's difficult to say how far Trump will go. But we may well soon see the end of the intercontinental alliance," explains Hoey.
The alliance has existed since the end of the Second World War and was actually built to keep peace in the world. What Trump is doing now is what everyone feared during Trump's first presidential term. Back then, he had an administration that was able to intervene and offer countermeasures. Today it is different.
Opponents should lose their bearings
The whole thing is a strategy by Trump, explains Hoey: "It makes it difficult to form an opinion because so many things are happening at once." Trump announces a new bombshell every day. "It's a strategy of coming in fast and hard so that opponents lose their bearings at best," says Hoey.
It is right that Europe sits together and discusses solutions. "It is almost historic that the USA was absent from the discussions in London," says Hoey. While it is true that Europe is working on a new defense strategy, many questions remain unanswered.
"The question is whether it can be done without the USA. The US has always been an important partner in military matters, such as NATO." This is because the USA has the strongest armed forces compared to other countries in Europe. "France and the UK also have nuclear weapons. But this is not in proportion to the nuclear force of the USA," explains Hoey.
New military force in Europe?
Something has to happen now. "The other heads of state feel compelled to react quickly. It would be worse if they didn't sit together or left Ukraine hanging," says Hoey. The questions that now need to be clarified in Europe: "Do Europe and Canada have the capacity to guarantee security and a military force in Europe - without the USA?"
It is quite possible that NATO will be left out and a completely new alliance will be formed in Europe, as trust in Europe towards Donald Trump has suffered this weekend.
That is why a signal towards Kiev and Moscow is needed right now. "The European heads of state should issue a warning now. With a purely European military, this could succeed, as it were 'don't try, because we can and will defend ourselves'," says Hoey.
Neutrality still very important in Switzerland
But what role does Switzerland play in global politics as a whole? About the same as 80 years ago? "I don't believe that Switzerland would change its foreign policy if push came to shove," explains Hoey. Neutrality is still very important.
Switzerland has a good relationship with the USA and prefers to turn its back on the EU. "Nevertheless, Switzerland would remain neutral. Just as it did during and after the Second World War."
Nevertheless, Hoey is convinced: "Switzerland definitely needs to keep an eye on things and constantly reassess the situation. We are certainly in a more difficult time today than we were a week ago."
However, it is still too early to make precise analyses. "There is a lack of facts. There's a lot of discussion at the moment, and that's important," says Hoey. But it is not possible to make clear predictions. Especially when you consider how quickly and unpredictably Trump acts.