The return of Donald Trump to the White House has sent shockwaves through the western alliance, shattering any illusions of a quick return to pre-2016 normalcy. For Britain, still grappling with the fallout of Brexit, the American electorate’s embrace of Trumpian nationalism couldn’t come at a worse time. Caught between a belligerent US and an exasperated Europe, UK leaders face a perilous path ahead.
The End of the “Special Relationship”?
Trump’s disdain for multilateralism and fondness for strongmen like Vladimir Putin pose an existential threat to NATO and the post-war liberal order. His mercurial trade policies and “America First” rhetoric leave little room for the cozy partnership London has long relied on. With its European ties strained by Brexit, Britain risks finding itself isolated and exposed.
“The variables are quite how little Trump cares for NATO, how much he will appease Putin, how spiteful he will be to EU leaders and how contagious his politics will be in continental elections,” notes a veteran diplomat.
Realpolitik vs. Principle
Realpolitik dictates maintaining close ties with Washington at all costs. But kowtowing to Trump’s demands risks alienating European partners and undermining Britain’s already diminished global standing. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces an unenviable balancing act – one made all the more precarious by his reluctance to openly acknowledge Brexit’s role in weakening the UK’s strategic position.
Confronting Hard Truths
Ultimately, navigating the treacherous new geopolitical landscape will require a brutally honest reckoning with past missteps. The “pretence that Brexit was something that happened once in the past, a page that has been turned” is no longer tenable. Only by confronting the reality of Britain’s self-inflicted vulnerabilities can leaders craft a viable strategy for the stormy times ahead.
The return of Trumpism has brought the post-Cold War era to a crashing close. For Britain, charting a path through the wreckage will demand bold leadership, clear-eyed realism, and a willingness to break with the comforting fictions of the past. The alternative is to drift ever further into geopolitical irrelevance, a bit player on a darkening global stage.
