Mathew Boys
Hoover Institution, Apr. 2, 2025
“Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recently called EU policy “very hostile, unbalanced, (and) one-sided” under former HRVP Josep Borrell.”
The United States generally enjoys close and collaborative relationships with the European Union and Western European countries, despite often major differences on trade, bilateral issues, and foreign/security policy. EU and Western European interests overlap – often significantly — with those of the United States, regardless of who is in power in Washington, Brussels, or other major capitals.
These allies often apply their significant financial, political, and other resources to the advantage of both sides of the Atlantic. The sides have managed their differences fairly well over the decades because interests far outweigh differences. Cooler heads usually prevail over the passions and tensions of the moment. If past is prologue, this pattern can continue with the Trump Administration, despite much sharper rhetoric and higher tensions on trade, defense and other issues. It remains to be seen whether, as some assert, the sides are entering a fundamentally new world.
While the contours of the next chapter in transatlantic relations take shape, differences remain – often significant — given unique U.S. interests and priorities on domestic U.S. and global challenges. The Middle East is one such area. Since October 7, the EU and other Western European states have staked out positions on Israel that differ from the Biden and Trump Administrations, both of which put Tel Aviv at the center of their efforts in the region despite their different approaches. The EU and Western Europeans also differ on such other U.S. priorities in the broader region as Syria and Iran.
The Middle East is a case study of how the United States will find a higher degree of congruence with the countries along the Eastern Flank of NATO, especially Central Europe (CE). The countries of “new Europe” can often be easier partners for U.S. policy than those in “old Europe.” In the past this has usually concerned threat perceptions regarding Russia, energy, and security issues, but Middle East policy also presents options. A Trump Administration frustrated by policies coming out of Brussels or western European capitals would do well to look more to Central Europe for allies even if they may have fewer resources, less bandwidth, and other priorities in their immediate neighborhood. ….SOURCE