It’s no secret that not all Europeans
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 3:11 am
The debacle in Afghanistan changed the rhetoric. Tom Tugendhat, a curator deputy who served in Afghanistan, urged Britain “to make sure we don’t depend on a single ally,” naming France and Germany as potential partners. Ben Wallace, the British Secretary of Defense, suggested that his armed forces should be ready to “join different coalitions and not depend on a single nation”. He didn’t need to say which one. “We have all been humiliated in the same way by Americans,” says a British diplomat, who underlines a common interest in making sure this does not happen again. For Germany, timid in conflict, Afghanistan was a formative experience. The disappointment job function email database was hurtful. Armin Laschet, the Conservative candidate for German chancellery, described the withdrawal as “the greatest debacle to have NATO has known since its foundation ”.
it will have to do more on its own. Whether skeptics understand it or not, this is exactly what Mr Macron said, and will repeat it in a speech ahead of France’s rotating presidency. EU Advice in 2022. No one, but no one, will say it out loud. But the implicit recognition is that, damn then, Mr. Macron was right.
To arms, Europeans
Two big questions for Europeans, however, arise from this puzzling thought, and there are no easy answers to either. First, what do we really mean by “European sovereignty” or “strategic autonomy” in Europe? Most countries pledge to spend more on defense, although Germany (unlike Britain and France) still falls short of the targets. NATO 2% benchmark GDP. Beyond that, there is little clarity, let alone agreement, not least because Brexit has not put Britain in the mood to work institutionally with the EU.
it will have to do more on its own. Whether skeptics understand it or not, this is exactly what Mr Macron said, and will repeat it in a speech ahead of France’s rotating presidency. EU Advice in 2022. No one, but no one, will say it out loud. But the implicit recognition is that, damn then, Mr. Macron was right.
To arms, Europeans
Two big questions for Europeans, however, arise from this puzzling thought, and there are no easy answers to either. First, what do we really mean by “European sovereignty” or “strategic autonomy” in Europe? Most countries pledge to spend more on defense, although Germany (unlike Britain and France) still falls short of the targets. NATO 2% benchmark GDP. Beyond that, there is little clarity, let alone agreement, not least because Brexit has not put Britain in the mood to work institutionally with the EU.