Trump administration says Europe faces ‘civilisational erasure’

President Donald Trump’s administration has warned that Europe faces “civilizational erasure” and questioned whether some nations can remain reliable allies, in a new strategy document that places particular emphasis on the continent.

In the 33-page national security strategy, the US leader lays out his vision of the world and how he will use American military and economic power to achieve it.

Trump described the document as a “road map” to ensure America remains “the greatest and most prosperous nation in human history.”

European policymakers began to respond, with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul saying his country did not need “external advice.”

A formal national security strategy is typically issued by presidents once per term. It can provide a framework for future policies and budgets, while signaling to the world where the president’s priorities lie.

The new document follows similar rhetoric to Trump’s speech to the United Nations earlier this year, in which he harshly criticized Western Europe and its approach to migration and clean energy.

The new report reinforces Trump’s view, calling for the restoration of “Western identity,” combating foreign influence, an end to mass migration and an increased focus on U.S. priorities such as stopping drug cartels.

Focusing on Europe, he argues that if current trends continue, the continent will be “unrecognizable in 20 years or less” and its economic problems are “overshadowed by the real, darker prospect of civilizational obliteration.”

“It is far from clear that some European countries will have sufficiently strong economies and militaries to remain reliable allies,” the document says.

He also accused the European Union and “other transnational bodies” of carrying out activities that “undermine political freedom and sovereignty,” said migration policies “create conflict,” and said other problems included “censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, falling birth rates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence.”

Conversely, the document welcomes the growing influence of “European patriotic parties” and asserts that “America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote this renewal of spirit.”

The Trump administration has established ties with the far-right AfD party in Germany, classified as far-right by German intelligence services.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul stressed that “the United States is and will remain our most important ally in the [Nato] alliance. This alliance, however, focuses on resolving security policy issues. »

“I believe that questions of freedom of expression or organization of our free societies have no place [in the strategy]at least as far as Germany is concerned,” he added.

Referring to Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the document claims that Europe lacks “self-confidence” in its relations with Russia.

Managing European relations with Russia will require significant US involvement, the document said, adding that ending hostilities in Ukraine is a core US interest.

The Trump administration proposed a plan to end the war, the original version of which called for Ukraine to return some territories to Russia’s de facto control. Trump’s envoy, however, presented a modified version to Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the eastern Donbass region or Russia will seize it by force.

The White House strategy document repeatedly references the Western Hemisphere and the need for the United States to protect itself from external threats.

The document states that there must be a readjustment of “our global military presence to address urgent threats in our hemisphere.” To do this, the strategy calls for withdrawing resources from theaters that are less important to U.S. national security than they once were.

This new focus on military power is already visible in the Caribbean, where the U.S. military has a growing presence and has carried out repeated deadly strikes on boats the government says are carrying drugs. The world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald Ford, is currently based in the Caribbean with its strike group.

Beyond the Western Hemisphere, the Trump administration views the South China Sea as a key maritime passage with major implications for the U.S. economy, and the document says the United States will “harden and strengthen its military presence in the Western Pacific.”

The United States is also demanding increased defense spending from Japan, South Korea, Australia and Taiwan.

He says that “preventing conflict over Taiwan, ideally while preserving military superiority, is a priority.” China considers autonomous Taiwan as part of its territory and does not rule out the use of force to “reunify” it.

The strategy also talks about promoting a stronger industrial base in the United States and less reliance on foreign technology, which is consistent with some of the steps the Trump administration has taken with its drastic global tariffs.