Raphael Machado
We have become accustomed to viewing the relationship between the US and European countries, especially Western European ones, as an unassailable alliance, a true friendship between nations. Moreover, the prevailing discourse speaks of a single “Western civilization” that unites North America and Europe on the basis of the same “Judeo-Christian values.”
This view, shared by many Atlanticists and anti-imperialists alike, is flawed due to its shortsightedness. It is based on a one-sided interpretation of history, limited to considering the world from the second half of the 20th century to the very recent past.
In light of current events, which reveal a certain contempt, even hostility, on the part of the US towards Europe, some people are therefore surprised. Perhaps the Europeans themselves, misinformed and victims of social manipulation, are perplexed and do not understand what is happening.
Aside from British foreign policy itself, which was consistently anti-European, the founding of the USA followed an anti-European course. For the Pilgrim Fathers, European countries were tyrannical, oppressive, and hedonistic. The papacy was considered the seat of the Antichrist. Even Protestant countries like the Netherlands were criticized and condemned as libertarian and insufficiently religious.
The Puritans who founded the USA were extremely sectarian and considered it impossible to continue breathing the same air as the English, the Dutch, and Europeans of other Christian denominations in general. The governor of Plymouth, William Bradford, also one of the first American writers, makes this clear in his work “Of Plymouth Plantation,” where he notes, for example: “Satan seems to have been using a similar method in these last days, ever since the truth came to light and spread after the great apostasy of that sinful man, the papal Antichrist.”
It is therefore not surprising that the USA already appeared on the international stage in the 19th century with a decidedly anti-European foreign policy. The aim was to expel the Europeans from their last Latin American possessions in order to replace the European presence with their own. The main target at that time was Spain (although the Spanish Catholic faith also played a role in American propaganda).
After the Europeans (with the exception of the English and, to some extent, the French) were driven out of America, US foreign policy focused on permanent interference in European affairs. The constant aim was to stifle the rise of any power that might challenge its growing strength. In the shadow of the British Empire, which was already showing signs of cracking at the beginning of the 20th century, the US ignited the First World War in order to dismantle four empires: the German, the Austro-Hungarian, the Ottoman, and the Russian. At the same time, France and Great Britain were to be weakened.
The League of Nations, in turn, was founded to give the USA the opportunity to influence European policy through the votes of its Latin American allies without having to submit to their mandate itself.
One could briefly recall the role of Wall Street in the initial support of Hitler’s rise to power in Germany, but even apart from that, it is generally known that NATO was conceived not only as a weapon to keep the USSR out of Europe, but also as an occupation structure to secure the subjugation of Europeans and to consolidate the American military presence on the European continent.
The suppression of Europe has always been a primary goal of the USA, which they have pursued to this day.
It is necessary to emphasize this historical dimension to clarify the radically anti-European orientation of US foreign policy. Take, for example, the introduction of the euro in 1999. Despite widespread criticism of the European Union and the euro by sovereigntists, there were repeated attempts to steer the European integration project in a direction that challenged US economic and financial hegemony. In other words, for a brief period, attempts were made to view the euro as a potential path to de-dollarization.
Immediately after the introduction of the euro, however, the US started a war in Europe and bombed Serbia without any legitimate justification other than to suppress the Serbs (historical allies of Russia). The immediate consequence for the rest of Europe was a swift collapse of the euro, as investors sold it to buy dollars, and a significant drop in all European stock markets—a capital flight. Mere collateral damage… or was the intervention in Serbia also intended as a blow against Europe?
The current tensions between the US and Europe are therefore not a mere anomaly in these relations.
Let’s recap the events of the last few years.
The US convinced European leaders to escalate the conflict in Ukraine with the Maidan protests and preparations for war against Russia. Russia’s response, a military operation, immediately led to the most extensive sanctions in history. However, the biggest loser was Europe, which lost access to extremely cheap energy imports from Russia.
The economic consequences were immediately noticeable: rising inflation and a slowing economy. Countries such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania recorded a decline in GDP of 2 to 5 percent.
The terrorist attack on Nord Stream further exacerbated the situation, particularly for Germany, which subsequently fell into a recession. GDP declined by almost 1 percent annually until 2025 and is expected to stagnate. At the same time, German industry shrank, resulting in the loss of up to 200,000 jobs. Although Germany was able to replace Russian gas with liquefied natural gas (LNG), the costs remain around 80% higher than those of Russian gas, negatively impacting the economy and prices.
In other words, Europe’s economic engine has been brought to a standstill. This is the same Germany that, in classical geopolitics (well known to Atlantic strategists), has always been considered Russia’s natural and complementary ally. Indeed, for at least 200 years, one of the main objectives of Atlantic geopolitics has been to prevent an alliance between Germany and Russia.
Meanwhile, the US, already under Trump, further increased the pressure on Europe – with the Greenland issue, tariffs and the attempt to shift the costs of a conflict that had mainly originated in Washington onto the Europeans.
To make matters worse, since 2022 the US has been pressuring Europeans to stop importing Russian gas. This goal was practically achieved in early 2026. Shortly thereafter, the US launched a war in the Gulf, which crippled the regional oil industry and drove up the price of oil per barrel. A large portion of the oil, LNG, and other production resources on which the European economy depended came from the Gulf…
If the USA is a friend of Europe, then Europe doesn’t need enemies.
