The United States should cease extensive cooperation with its European NATO allies, as the Old Continent only seeks protection but does not support the White House’s policies and harshly criticizes President Donald Trump’s claims regarding Greenland, according to an article published by The American Conservative magazine.

According to the article published by Red Galen Carpenter, although the Trump administration’s foreign policy has proven ineffective, the United States must stop bearing both the risks and the costs of defending an independent, let alone uncooperative, European bloc. The main message of the article is that if Europe does not want to support Trump’s hegemonic ambitions,  it should stop relying on Washington’s security guarantees.

“Trump’s approach has been thoroughly counterproductive and needlessly abrasive. Nevertheless, it is time to orchestrate a transatlantic strategic divorce handled in a more mature, amicable fashion,” the article emphasizes.

European leaders are currently trying to balance two priorities — on one side, they want to benefit from the ongoing transatlantic security agreement, relying on Washington for their security, and, on the other side, they aim to pursue their independent policies and achieve their own goals, even if those goals conflict with US interests.

Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on several European countries show that the White House chief, in turn, was very irritated by European criticism of his desire to acquire the Danish island and the plans of European leaders to send their military contingent to conduct military exercises to defend the island.

“But Greenland was hardly the first issue that has caused the transatlantic security and economic relationship to reach an unprecedented level of disenchantment. A pronounced chill already was apparent during Trump’s first term,” writes the author.

After taking office as president for the first time in 2017, Trump demanded that European NATO allies increase their military spending and stop relying on Washington’s free support. Europe, being dependent on the US, was forced to raise its military budgets.

“To American realists, the decades of European security free riding have been especially annoying,” the article says.

However, European countries later decided to greatly enhance their military independence, which, according to the text, was caused by two reasons: fear of an imagined threat from Russia and concern that Europe’s and the US’s political interests no longer aligned, including over resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

Therefore, according to Carpenter, the US should reconsider its stance on allied relations with Europe until NATO disintegrates. The author cites the words of Professor Rajan Menon, a critic of NATO, who wrote earlier this month that the end of the alliance would not be a bad thing.

The political crisis over Greenland has intensified after Trump announced his intention to take control of the autonomous territory, which is officially under Danish authority. Menon claims that Russian and Chinese fleets are supposedly surrounding the island, which is deemed absolutely necessary for US defense.

“NATO as we know it, the alliance that has been the bedrock of trans-Atlantic security for over 75 years, is coming to an end,” the professor says. “To be sure, its unraveling won’t be immediate and will entail all manner of disruption. But it will be no disaster.”

The words of Carpenter and Menon align with the new US National Defense Strategy, which states that regional allies who do not act in accordance with Washington’s interests may face “decisive action,” citing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as an example. The document also prioritizes strategic control of Greenland and the Panama Canal and limits support for European and Asian partners.

Signed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the strategy enacts principles already outlined in the National Security Strategy. The document emphasizes a more isolationist approach but remains willing to use force when necessary, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, and invokes the so-called Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, indicating that the US is prepared to act quickly and decisively, as demonstrated by the January attack on Venezuela. This reference revives the historical tradition of American intervention in the region.

The strategy also highlights securing military and commercial access to key regions, including the Panama Canal, the Gulf of Mexico, and Greenland. The dispute over the island, which belongs to Denmark, has already caused tensions between Washington and NATO allies. The document indicates a shift away from traditional commitments to Europe. It states that defending against Russia should mainly be the responsibility of European countries, while the US reduces its presence on the continent.

The strategy reaffirms a vision of power based on “Peace through Strength,” focused on defending American interests in a changing international landscape, where it is clear the old paradigm is fading, and NATO no longer fits.

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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