Harold James (#4: On Transatlantic Alliances)

(Princeton University)

Let me begin by stating clearly: I do not agree with Beatrice that what we are experiencing is a temporary glitch, something like the 1960s, the 1980s, or the 2000s. This is a profound rupture. I do not think it is too early to say that two dates will go down in American history as days of infamy:

• February 28th: the humiliation of President Zelensky at the White House—a moment staged for television, deeply shocking.
• April 2nd: the so-called Liberation Day.

Both events are fundamentally destructive of everything the United States has claimed to stand for since 1940–41. I completely agree with Jeffrey that this is not just a weakening; it is the United States shooting itself, not in the foot, but in the head (intellectually) and in the heart (morally). The restrictions on Chinese trade I leading to a retaliation leading to major shortages of the rare earths and critical minerals needed for advanced semi-conductors and other technologies such as fusion energy – that’s shooting yourself in the head. Putting high tariffs on goods from very poor countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar that don’t compete with American products is shooting yourself in the head. Other countries are already reacting. We see this clearly in China, in India, in Brazil, and crucially, in Canada and Europe.

Here, I want to offer an optimistic suggestion: perhaps the true meaning of MAGA. “Make America Great Again,” should be understood as MEGA, “Make Europe Great Again.” Take Germany, for example. There is growing debate about ending the debt brake, expanding military spending, and coordinating more closely at the European level. The problem in Europe was not a lack of defense spending; it was fragmentation. Each major power (UK, France, Germany, Italy) had its own national defense industry and procurement policies, creating duplication and inefficiency. Now, the European Commission is forcefully pushing for coordination and shared procurement. Europe has learned that it can no longer depend on American equipment. There is also no point in buying expensive F35s to be delivered in 2035: a gigantic military revolution is taking place, and the kind of equipment needed is changing quickly. Europe is more in need of the drone technology developing rapidly in Ukraine. We are seeing a reorientation fiscally, militarily, and geopolitically.

Meanwhile, the United States has failed repeatedly to offer a credible path forward on Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Domestically, we are seeing rising inflation, deeper fragmentation, and the beginning of a collapse of the MAGA coalition, with mounting tensions between a techno-globalist wing and a nativist grassroot movement, and between isolationists and people trying to find answers to age-old foreign policy dilemmas about China, Russian and the Middle East. We should also pay attention to foreign interference in European elections by figures like Musk who explicitly supported the AfD in Germany, pro-Russian candidates in Romania, and Nigel Farage in the UK. These interventions have been largely unsuccessful, and I believe European voters reject this manipulation. Romania is an instructive example of how democratic resilience can win.

Which brings us to a basic question for this series: What do people want from democracy? Yes, they want a voice, but they also want competent government in an age of rapid technical change and new challenges from digitization and AI. Right now, the United States is offering neither.

---

---