Europe’s independence from America requires getting rid of its colonial heritage and transcendent tendency

The wars of commercial recognition launched by US President Donald Trump recently constituted a great shock to the global economy, and revealed clear intentions to undermine the relations between the two banks of the Atlantic.

However, these policies, despite their negatives, have prompted the European Union to reconsider its international position, and highlights a central issue, which is the urgent need to achieve Europe’s independence from the United States.

The European Union has an extensive network of commercial agreements and aid with about 70 countries, which gives it the opportunity to be an active international player in a world in which there are multiple centers of power, but achieving this goal requires freedom from its colonial heritage, getting rid of the transcendent European tendency, and from the policies that are angry with many countries of the world because of the double standards that others are treated.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Line, has announced new orientations for building a “new European Union” capable of formulating a different global system, noting that “the West as we know it has ended,” which requires Europe to adapt to a more complex global system.

Strategic independence

French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly called for the strengthening of European strategic independence, so that the conservative German counselor Friedrich Mertz – despite his adherence to Washington – stressed the need for Europe to liberate from dependency on the United States.

It is noteworthy that these calls come at a time when popular support for the idea of ​​the European Union as a global power, especially in some global southern countries that are seen as an important geopolitical actor.

Also, some member states of the European Union, such as Italy, Hungary, Poland and the Baltic countries, are still adhering to American protection.

And the criticism of Indian Foreign Minister, Superia Maneam Gaishhankar, sparked controversy when he said after the outbreak of the Ukraine war in 2022, that Europe “assumes its problems are the problems of the world, but the world does not see its problems in Europe’s problems.”

South Global

Indeed, many in the global southern countries are frustrated by the positions of the European Union that seems biased, despite its slogans on defending human rights, a researcher from South Africa said that “the European Union maintains its rooted positions, with colonial roots that involve ascetic thinking.”

However, the European Union has been adhering to the rules of global trade, and has a economy that records modest growth and an attractive and vibrant internal market. It is time to develop European Union relations with the global southern countries, but the old exchange rules have needed urgent reform.

“The world is preparing to find safe job opportunities with Europe that adheres to the rule of law, while Trump raises chaos in global markets,” says von der Line.

However, after many years of pursuing European policies towards the countries of the south, it is clear that the European Union policy makers should stop dealing with superiority with other countries, delivering lessons and instructions on other countries, and starting listening to the oppressed peoples who suffered a lot due to European colonialism.

In addition to the protection of trade, the European Union has a rare opportunity to reassess its credibility in the soft power that is now distorted racism, hatred, anti -Semitism, and retreat in defending women’s rights.

The transcendent Europe approach

After years of negotiations, the new European Union Conventions with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India appear to be optimistic.

However, there is a suspicious feeling in some of these countries from the transcendent European approach, which is assumed that “our standards are better than your standards.”

The European Union’s rush to conclude deals with African countries rich in resources, such as Rwanda, Congo and Namibia raises fears of the repeated “colonial exploitation” pattern under the cover of the green economy, so it is no wonder that Indonesia and some African countries are resisting.

Since the Trump administration has stopped supporting the American Agency for International Development, European activists are struggling to maintain the funding of the European Union for the most fragile countries in the world, but there is no great hope for this when the governments of the European Union countries – including France and Germany – are suffering from economic problems and reduce their budgets allocated to development and assisting poor countries.

Penate Europe

At a time when immigration to “fortified” migration is carried out with all its harsh manifestations, the European Union strategy of relying on strong men in neighboring countries is being paid in exchange for deterring the transit of migrants to Europe as a dangerous racist struggle, manifested in many cases about the way in which these refugees were dealt with, and the state of discrimination between them based on various reasons.

“Tunisia has accused African immigrants of participating in a plan to change the population composition in Tunisia, an argument (a comprehensive replacement) that no one had previously heard in North Africa,” says Yasmine Akrami, an expert in relations between Europe and North Africa.

Rare

In several ways, Trump provides the European Union policy makers, as this opportunity is now a rare opportunity to review some of the most terrible European Union policies, and to actually reformulate the Union as credible and important entity on the global scene.

The powerful European Union’s dealings with the countries of the southern world can help achieve geopolitical stability in a turbulent region of the world, and will also provide a convincing alternative to what Trump is doing in the world today, but it will require more than just von der -Line letters and delusions.

Shatha Islam*

*Belgian writer specializing in European Union affairs.

On the “Guardian”

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Women’s rights

The European Union can show more firmness in the face of US President Donald Trump’s attack on diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives, but while the European Union Equality, a need for Habib, seeks to enhance women’s rights, no action has yet been taken to revive an important law to combat discrimination against women, suddenly withdrawn earlier this year.

Germany and other countries have undermined the European Union’s moral authority when it refused to allow anyone to call for the protection of human rights to the weak in other poor countries.

. Some European Union member states such as Italy, Hungary, Poland and the Baltic countries are still adhering to American protection.

. The strong European Union dealing with the global southern countries can help achieve geopolitical stability in a turbulent region of the world.