What does the NRC do | European security cannot yet exist without the United States

A state visit usually takes place to celebrate the friendly relations between two countries. The fact that relations between France and the Netherlands are not limited to good trade relations became clear in recent days during a state visit for which all stops were made in Amsterdam and The Hague. . Since the departure of the British from the European Union and the arrival of reformer Emmanuel Macron as President, the Netherlands, as the largest of the small countries, has increasingly engaged with Paris in a European context, with good reasons.

The “strategic autonomy” of the European Union, Macron’s hobbyhorse, was the main theme of the visit. It was planned in advance: a conference in The Hague and visits to crucial economic sectors aimed to support the idea that Europe must do everything possible to be a third center of power in a bipolar world, alongside the United States and China. But especially because of the Macron own statements on US pressure on China, this theme has also become the topic of conversation of the week for less pompous reasons. Strategic autonomy, it turned out, is not only a concept one can freely philosophize about in Parisian salons, but also carries responsibilities in the real world.

Macron is probably right when he says that in Europe the “ideological battle” around this strategic autonomy is settled. This is to his credit, partly thanks to the support of former Chancellor Merkel. When he started talking about it at the Sorbonne University shortly after taking office as president in 2017, skepticism was still in order. Today, even countries like Germany and the Netherlands, traditionally more focused on transatlantic relations, seem convinced that Europe can only play a significant role between the two superpowers through intensive cooperation and can – even be an industrial policy and common defense purchases.

But it’s not that far yet. Europe cannot yet do without the Americans for its security. The situation in Ukraine painfully exposed this last year. Without considerable military aid from the United States, this country could have fallen long ago, as the Republicans subtly observed after Macron’s statements.

It is therefore myopic that Macron has now jeopardized the strategic relationship with the United States by suggesting that Europe should follow a different path vis-à-vis China and Taiwan. “The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans should be docile on this subject and adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction,” he said just before his visit to the Netherlands on his return from China. He had also been there on a state visit to celebrate friendship. The fact that China began a major “encirclement exercise” around Taiwan at this very moment made its statements all the more painful.

It has long been French foreign policy to be able to talk to anyone, no matter who is at the Élysée. “Being an ally doesn’t mean you’re a vassal,” Macron said at the closing press conference of the state visit to Amsterdam. That may be the case, but if strategic autonomy is to become anything, a certain realism is also required. Creating a wedge between the United States and Europe is exactly what China wants. Prime Minister Rutte rightly pointed out alongside Macron on Wednesday that the relationship with the United States remains essential. Macron has now lost much of his credit in his own country. If he wants to maintain his leading role on the European stage in these geopolitically turbulent times, he must be more careful in his words.