31 October 2019

POLITICO: Report urges US to repair EU ties, calls Brussels ‘nascent power’

Washington needs a "new special relationship" with Brussels and the EU — as part of an urgent effort to repair damage caused by Donald Trump, but also because France, Germany and the UK "lack the international clout they once had," according to a new report by the Center for an American Progress.

While the report savages Trump for taking a wrecking-ball to transatlantic relations, it also calls for the U.S. to embrace Brussels and the EU as the political center of gravity in Europe, in a way that no modern American president, Republican or Democrat, has ever done. But it also offers sober warnings about the EU's own weaknesses.

"The United States needs a new progressive approach to revive and rebuild the trans-Atlantic alliance," the report states. "Fully embracing the European Union and supporting European integration efforts that bolster the strength and resilience of Europe’s union should be core to a new American approach."

The report continues, "A strong united Europe working in tandem with an America once again committed to its founding principles would create a robust liberal bulwark against the rising tide of authoritarianism."

But, it adds, "While Europe can rise, it can also fall. The European Union faces acute internal and external challenges, which threaten its stability."

The report, called "Embrace the Union," is significant because it has the potential of serving as a blueprint for any new Democratic administration in Washington. [...]

"In sum, the United Kingdom is no longer punching above its weight but is losing weight, France is trying to punch above its weight, and Germany doesn’t know how to punch," the report states. "Other European states are focused on punching one other in Brussels." [...]

Britain comes in for particularly harsh criticism in the report as a result of its effort to quit the EU.

 

"The United Kingdom’s departure from the EU will significantly reduce its diplomatic relevance to the United States," the report states, adding: "The inevitable all-consuming focus on Brexit and its fallout will make the United Kingdom increasingly distracted from other world events." The report describes London as "enamored" with China's market, and "reticent to deal aggressively and comprehensively with Russian malign influence." [...]

Full article on POLITICO

Report by the Center for an American Progress

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