America and Us

Europe was left reeling in the first chaotic days after Donald Trump began his second presidential term. Treaties were torn up, international institutions and aid organisations dismantled, and traditional allies shown the door. One thing was immediately clear: the United States is undergoing a second revolution and no longer shares Europe’s core ideological values.

How should we respond? In America and Us, his urgent geopolitical reflection on the new world order, Rob de Wijk offers a clear answer: regrettable as it may be, we must accept the new reality and act accordingly. The loyal American ally Europe has known since the Second World War is not coming back, even after Trump has left office. Europe must therefore become a geopolitical actor in its own right, starting with the war in Ukraine. The continent’s prosperity and security are at stake.

De Wijk shows convincingly that, if Europe plays its cards well, it can assume a leading role in the world and emerge from this struggle in a far better position. Better than America, better than China. And much better than Russia.