The Trump Administration and Europe. College of Europe Policy Brief #4.17, April 2017

Pfaltzgraff, Robert (2017) The Trump Administration and Europe. College of Europe Policy Brief #4.17, April 2017. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

Executive Summary • President Trump’s policy agenda is based on essentially three conceptual pillars: (1) strong defense/national security; (2) economic nationalism; and (3) dismantling the regulatory state. • Far from retreating into isolationism, the Trump Administration has begun to use the instruments of national power (military, diplomatic, economic) in support of clearly articulated foreign policy goals. • Alliances, including NATO, remain vitally important, provided they serve twentyfirst-century US interests, and allies bear their fair share of the defense burden. • The Administration took early steps, as evidenced not only in its senior national security appointments, but also in sending them on visits to Europe to reassure NATO-European allies about the continuing US transatlantic commitment. • Like many of its predecessors, the Administration already confronts the necessity of adapting to a world not of its own making, which imposes constraints and unanticipated challenges that must be addressed.

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