Europe's Foreign Policy Options in the Era of the Trump Administration

In her analysis, Ms. Stelzenmüller noted that many Europeans are deeply unsettled by President Trump’s way of treating friends and allies and asked about Europe’s scope of action. Mr. Jones emphasized that the "rest of the West" can still do a lot, such as stepping up its efforts to build and expand its own diplomatic initiatives and strategic capacities to weather the current period of unpredictability in U.S. foreign policy. Nevertheless, Ms. Stelzenmüller pointed out, Europe would remain dependent on the U.S. foreign policy strategy in many cases, such as the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. In announcing this step, the Trump administration presented Europe with a fait accompli, forcing the latter to find its own approach to dealing with the new situation and its consequences.

Ms. Stelzenmüller further asked how Europe could act more united on the foreign policy front. In general, Mr. Jones replied, his preferred foreign policy mechanisms were multilateral institutions with a small group of powerful states at their core able to lead the way and take charge, in contrast to the often problematic principle of unanimity in EU foreign policy. According to Mr. Jones, a prime example of a European core group was France, Germany, and the UK negotiating with Iran in the run-up to the nuclear deal.