Europe's folly
America's allies at the Munich Security Conference hope for Trump to fail, but will likely fail instead.
The Munich Security Conference was held between 13 and 15 February, with some preparatory events taking place earlier. The Conference highlighted several themes, which we will mention before moving on to the commercial impact.
Rallying effect: The Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy, their haranguing of Europe and the rest of the West over free speech, and their pressure to take Greenland have pushed Australia, Canada, Britain, and the EU to side together politically and rhetorically against the USA.
Military build-up: The Americans and their Western allies were in agreement on the need for Europe to rearm. There was considerable debate on the right level of military dependence on the United States. European speakers emphasised the need to develop some level of autonomy, and to better integrate their own defence industry, along with those of Canada and Australia. That said, practically all speakers acknowledged the importance of the United States.
Climate cultism: While the Americans, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spoke at the Munich Security Conference in civilisational terms, emphasising that America was Europe’s daughter, the importance of Christianity, and the threat to Western civilisation that stems from immigration (read, Islam), climate alarmism, and endless decline, the new, secular religion of Europe was what most of the European speakers emphasised. They castigated the Americans for abandoning climate commitments, and repeated the dead mantra of diversity is our strength.
Merz and Starmer trying their best to ignore Macron during a photo-op. Escalation against Russia: The Germans, French, and British seemed committed to escalation against Russia, as were smaller countries like Denmark. There were numerous attacks against Hungary and other countries that dissented from that view, most notably, and most childishly, from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
