Trump’s reelection Europe’s nightmare

By Hossein Ziaee*

Perhaps it appears a little exaggerated at first glance, but the truth is that Europeans are among the very first ones aghast at US President Donald Trump’s possible reentry into the Oval Office.

Based on the results of a poll by YouGov – a global public opinion and data company, the majority of people in European states are gravely concerned about Trump’s reelection, which will make him the 59th president of the US.

This comes as, John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser, acknowledged, in a recent interview with the French daily Le Parisien, that Trump will seek to withdraw the US from NATO if he is reelected.

In fact, Trump seeks to accomplish all his semi-finished tasks in Washington’s relations with Europe in the form of a “cold war package” during his probable second term in office. These incomplete jobs include withdrawing from NATO, starting a new round of trade wars with China and Russia and implementing policies to demand higher ransom from Europe in all fields.

In other words, the main components of Trump’s policy of destroying the “multilateralism front” are launching a cold war against Europe and extending the boundaries of Washington’s cold war with Beijing.

While during his first tenure, Trump’s main foreign policy has been to weaken and destroy the multilateralism front with a focus on Russia, China and Iran, in his second term in office, he would seek to choose Europe as the main target of his trade, political and economic attacks.

This would be a scenario the unfolding of which will mark the beginning of a dark era for Europe in its longstanding relations with the US.

At present, the beginning of an all-out US-launched cold war against a bewildered Europe onthe international scene is being heralded by cases pertaining to Washington’s NATO exit plan, tariff wars and opposition to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

This comes as Europe has left US alone in favor of Iran in the United Nations Security Council.

Thus, among the absolute necessities for Europe in the face of Trump’s US are greater self-confidence, adoption of an independent approach towards global issues and promotion of intracontinental solidarity more than ever.

* Hossein Ziaee is an Iranian freelance columnist.