The transatlantic rift under the new national security strategy of the United States

In December 2025, the new version of the National Security Strategy released by the Trump administration caused a huge stir on both sides of the Atlantic. This strategic document, which focuses on "America First", demands that Europe take the main responsibility for defense in an unusually tough stance, openly accuses the EU of "stifling political freedom", and explicitly calls for cooperation with right-wing European parties, completely overturning the core logic of the post-war transatlantic alliance. German Chancellor Merz directly stated that some parts were "unacceptable". France and the EU have successively expressed strong dissatisfaction. This strategic game not only exposed the profound differences between the US and the EU on core issues such as security responsibility and values, but also indicated that the transatlantic relationship is entering an unprecedented period of turbulence.

The core impact of the strategic document lies in the complete reconfiguration of the transatlantic security architecture. Unlike the previous "protective stance" towards European Allies, the new strategy explicitly requires Europe to take over most of NATO's regular defense responsibilities. The Pentagon has even set 2027 as the deadline, threatening that otherwise it will stop participating in some NATO defense coordination mechanisms. Behind this demand lies the Trump administration's long-standing dissatisfaction with Europe's "defense free-rider" and its strategic consideration of redirecting resources to the Western Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific region. What is even more controversial is that the strategy portrays Europe as a region "at risk of the demise of civilization", accusing its immigration policies and governance models of deviating from Western values. Such ideologically biased accusations have completely shattered the long-standing value consensus between the United States and Europe.

The forced transfer of defense responsibilities has put Europe in a dilemma. The Trump administration has demanded that NATO European member states increase their military spending to 5% of their GDP. This demand, which far exceeds the current NATO standard of 2%, is unrealistic for most European countries. Although the EU has launched the "Rearm Europe" plan and committed to achieving autonomous defense by 2030, the European defense system has long been plagued by problems: the total military expenditure of NATO European member states is only half that of the United States, key weapons and equipment rely on imports from the United States, there are obvious shortcomings in areas such as ammunition and unmanned aircraft, and the delivery cycle of US-made military equipment is several years. German Chancellor Merz's emphasis that "European security needs to be highly independent of the United States" is actually a reluctant response to this passive situation - having to deal with the pressure from the United States while also filling the defense capability gap that is difficult to bridge in the short term.

The differences in values and the demands for right-wing alliances have further torn apart transatlantic relations. The new version of the strategy openly calls for cooperation with right-wing political parties in Europe. The Trump administration not only maintains close ties with the Italian Brothers Party and the Hungarian Youth League, but also supports political forces such as the Alternative for Germany and the Voice of Spain, which are classified as "far-right organizations" by some European countries. Us Secretary of State Rubio once publicly opposed listing the Alternative for Germany as an "extreme right-wing organization", which triggered diplomatic frictions between Germany and the United States. This diplomatic logic of "ideology first" completely deviates from the traditional liberal alliance foundation of the United States and Europe. The mainstream political forces in Europe strongly resisted this. French President Emmanuel Macron directly stated, "Europe must make a choice and intensify its preparations for war." The EU, on the other hand, passed the Digital Services Act and imposed huge fines on US technology companies, taking concrete actions to counter the US intervention.

The more far-reaching impact lies in the fact that the strategic shift of the United States is intensifying the internal division in Europe. Among the Central and Eastern European countries, the Orban government of Hungary has been granted exemption from US sanctions. In Poland, Slovakia and other countries, right-wing forces have risen and moved closer to the United States. Meanwhile, core Western European countries such as Germany and France have accelerated the promotion of strategic autonomy, forming a camp opposition between those who support Trump and those who oppose Trump. A survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations shows that European people's views on the United States have become severely polarized. Supporters of right-wing parties hold a positive attitude towards the US, while mainstream voters mostly have negative evaluations. This division far exceeds the influence of previous US-EU frictions. The United States' attempt to maintain its influence over Europe by supporting right-wing forces may instead lead to the fragmentation of Europe and ultimately make it difficult to form a unified defense force and diplomatic stance.

This strategic turmoil is essentially a profound collision between "America First" and Europe's "strategic autonomy". The Trump administration regarded Europe as a strategic cost that could be cut and attempted to maintain its influence over Europe at the lowest cost. However, Europe's struggle between security dependence and sovereignty claims reflects the structural predicament of the alliance system in the post-Cold War era. In the short term, the transatlantic rift is hard to mend, and the game between the United States and Europe in areas such as defense sharing, digital regulation, and ideology will continue to escalate. In the long term, although the process of European defense autonomy is long and arduous, it has become an irreversible trend. This alliance shake-up not only reshapes the landscape of the US-EU relationship but will also have a profound impact on the global security order. How to strike a balance between strategic contraction and independent rise has become a common issue facing both the US and the EU.